


Forbidden

by IndigothRabbitzi



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Blackmail, Character Death, Coma, Death, Drug Use, Drugs, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Gavin is a drug addict, Gay, Illegal Activities, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overdose, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), RK900 gets shot, RK900 uses it/its pronouns until he deviates, Red Ice (Detroit: Become Human), References to Drugs, Robot/Human Relationships, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Smut, Temporary Character Death, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, but is alive, drug overdose, illegal relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-08-23 20:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16625696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IndigothRabbitzi/pseuds/IndigothRabbitzi
Summary: “Do you even understand how much fuckin’ trouble you’re gonna get me in, you worthless tin can!?”“Of course I do. However… my scanners indicate that there is only a mere thirty percent chance we will be discovered.” He reached his free hand up to stroke the man’s cheek. “Let me prove you wrong.”The officer hesitated for a moment. Finally, in a hushed tone, he replied, “Y’know, maybe I hate you...things, but I must admit. I’ve always kinda wondered why anyone would want to date one. And, damn you, I think I’m starting to get it.”The DPD, lacking its usual Lieutenant and his fellow android partner, now can only rely on the hot-headed detective and his newly assigned plastic doll. Thrown into the middle of the recent Red Ice epidemic case, the duo will face much more than just dead bodies and drugs. Soon, Richard is fighting with foreign problems, while Gavin is struggling to keep his secrets to himself.**Updates are very sporadic due to school!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty, my first multi-chapter story in years. Let's see how this goes, hm?
> 
> This is a Reed900-centric AU. Though written out in this first chapter, I would like to summarize some parts just a little so that, hopefully, they make a little more sense while reading; Connor and Hank are not present in this fic (though they might be in the very end, I'm not sure yet), but they are mentioned. For whatever reason, Gavin takes Hank's place and is now in charge of his responsibilities, while Richard (RK900) takes Connor's place. Richard, as stated in the tags, uses it/its pronouns for the first two to three chapters, but will later use he/him pronouns as he deviates. If you catch any mistakes about that in the first few chapters, please let me know! I beta read all of my own works, but I'm only human; I make dumb mistakes.
> 
> Also, the first few chapters are, honestly, going to be a little boring; they will consist mostly of Richard's struggles and crime scenes (which I am inexperienced in writing), so this will have a long buildup. I apologize for this, but I don't want this to be, for lack of a better word, a quick fic; I really want to challenge myself and push past my boundaries. Later on, I will be delving into deeper topics, but don't worry. There will be warnings signifying what exactly is in the chapters so readers may skip/skim parts of them.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! My last fic gained a lot more attention than I thought it would, and honestly, I'm very excited to see where this will go. This will most likely not have a regular update schedule, as I'm very busy with school and am attempting to get a job. Regardless, I will make sure to finish it, even if it takes months.

 

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

 _“_ _You have to be kidding me. You absolutely have to be kidding me.”_

“ _No, Detective, I’m not.”_

“ _This isn’t fair! We already_ have _a fuckin’ android here, we don’t need another!”_

“ _We could always use the extra help.”_

“ _Fine, whatever. But does it have to be_ my _partner!? Why can’t Tina use it or something!?”_

“ _My decision is final, Reed. Now, get out of my office and situate yourself with your new partner.”_

That conversation had only occurred two and a half weeks ago, but Gavin remembered it like it had been years ago. Every time he thought back to it, he pictured the face of the android associated with said thoughts. It was nearly identical to Connor’s, yet there were enough distinguishing features that Gavin could differentiate his feelings between the two of them rather simply. Despite the fact he still loathed Connor, said android did not make him uneasy; RK900-Richard, as Gavin had dubbed it- however, did. One could even say the new model seemed to irritate him far more than its predecessor. While Connor got on his nerves with "personal questions" and constantly invading his personal space, Richard managed to make him jump at almost every encounter. The android would linger behind him as he did his work, suddenly addressing him after a few minutes of simply standing there. If Gavin didn't know any better, he would assume it did this just because it got some kind of sick pleasure from the actions.

Of course, just as with Connor, Gavin did his best to ignore and avoid Richard. Even when they were supposed to be working together on paperwork and case filing, nine times out of ten, the detective would force the android to do everything for him, or order it to bring him coffee while he handled their duties. Either way, somehow, he managed to evade the presence of what annoyed him so.

Soon, something would change. None of Gavin's attempts would be able to keep his partner at bay.

Recently, Lieutenant Anderson had taken Connor along with him on a "business trip", as he had put it. The two of them had traveled to Illinois, where a police department was in desperate need of any assistance they could receive. They had suffered mass casualties after a shoot out, and the officers who had survived were in critical condition, some theorized to fail to make it out alive in the end. Departments from the surrounding areas had opted to send their best, including both androids and humans, and were accepting volunteers to keep anyone from being required to transfer temporarily. Thinking it would be a good chance to assist Connor, who had recently deviated and was struggling with his newfound emotions, Hank had volunteered them both, and Connor had been more than happy to go along with him. This left just one issue; now, the Detroit department was short two officers. Somehow, Gavin had been deemed worthy of taking Hank's place until his return (probably the work of Tina), and likewise, Richard took Connor's place. Though he was still to be referred to as "Detective", Gavin was now responsible for Hank's work.

In addition to this, he no longer had a way to avoid Richard.

"Detective Reed, we have been assigned a new case."

That was the line that would begin Gavin Reed’s life changing events.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

The car ride to the crime scene was hell, to say the least.

As they traveled, Richard took note of its partner’s reckless actions; speeding, taking turns too quickly, tight swerving. It wasn’t necessarily uneasy. No, Richard was more concerned for Gavin’s safety; it could be replaced, but he could not.

“Detective, it would be rather impractical if you were to perish before we even make it to the crime scene.”

“Can it, Dick.” Gavin chuckled to himself, amused by the “nickname”, which both of them knew was just a cover-up for an insult he could use as frequently as he pleased.

“I will not ‘can it’, as you put it,” Richard retorted, narrowing its eyes as it spoke. “You are putting yourself and others in danger by driving like an idiot. Please, knock it off before _I_ have to _make you._ ”

Taken back by the sudden sass of the android, he began to slow down without really giving it a second thought. Richard smiled, pleased with itself, and turned to admire the scenery outside. They were still speeding quite considerably, but it was slow enough for it to pick up little details. Some snowflakes cascading through the soft, gray sky; the people wandering the streets, on their way to their individual destinations; the vehicles stopping, turning, and picking pedestrians up. In a way, Richard thought it saw beauty in the city. It was almost a shame that said beauty would be hidden to the duo once they arrived at the scene. Almost.

They pulled up slowly, catching Richard’s attention, considering they had just been speeding through the streets of Detroit only minutes ago. Gavin didn’t even bother to shut the car off before throwing his seat belt back, leaving Richard to do so for him. It went the extra mile, locking the car and taking the keys with it as it stepped out, taking in the scenery once again. This time, it analyzed what was around it; the house seemed to be in decent condition. It was small, with chipped, white paint. As Richard looked it over, it took note of a dent in the door, unsure if it had been due to an intruder or someone losing his keys. The yard, while lacking anything lush and green, was bare of trash or debris. There was a light dusting of snow over everything, but that did not keep Richard from taking note of the fresh tire tracks in the yard. Overall, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

Eventually, Richard caught up to its partner, who was strolling under the caution tape while the officer beside it yelled at him, demanding the proper ID Gavin refused to fish from his pocket. Richard pulled its own out, passing it to the officer slowly. “I apologize for the behavior of my partner. I shall keep an eye on him.”

“Yeah, why don’t you do that already?” The officer handed the ID back, which Richard took as it proceeded through the digital caution tape. It walked up behind Gavin, who was talking to a group of men gathered outside of the small house, and began to listen in to their conversation, attempting to gather whatever it could from them.

"Man got a name?" questioned Gavin, who had somehow managed to get a cigarette lit and in his mouth in the short amount of time they were there. An officer nodded in response.

"Yes. Victor Jones. Neighbors say he's not the type to be mixed up with dangerous people, but it seems they don't know him as well as they thought."

"What else did you find?"

"Well...nothing, yet. Crews haven't had time to take samples or anything-"

“So, you’re saying we came here for nothing?”

“No, not at all!” one of the men insisted, shaking his head. “We really need a fresh pair of eyes, just in case we missed anything.”

“If you fuckin’ missed anything, you should be fired for not being able to do your god damn job.”

“Sir, that’s not-”

“Don’t argue with me,” Gavin interrupted, his dark gray eyes narrowing slightly. “I don’t give a damn how sleep deprived you were, or whatever the fuck. Send in people who _aren’t_ and get your fuckin’ jobs done.”

Before the men could say anything else, Gavin stormed off, not really caring one way or another if Richard followed him. It did, concern written all over its facial features.

“Detective, was that really necessary?” it asked, strolling up to his side whilst they continued into the house.

Gavin scoffed, a puff of smoke being blown from the cigarette. “’Course it was. Dumbasses can’t even do their job.”

“Either way, we would have had to come and investigate the scene for ourselves. I don’t see why you are so angry about it.”

“Dick, you don’t _have_ to get it. You’re a piece of plastic, quit trying to analyze everything.”

Richard found its eyes narrowing. “Detective, I must ask you not to refer to me as ‘Dick’. You have rude intentions behind it, and I don’t appreciate-”

“Can it, _prick._ ”

This _infuriated_ Richard. It was about to protest,  ready to verbally assault its asshat of a partner, but was stopped when it noticed the small warning message in the corner of its vision.

_Software Instability ^_

Richard froze. It simply stood there, reading the message over repeatedly, until it slowly disappeared from its vision. Its facial features formed into a concerned frown, something it was unable to understand. What had happened? Why was there an issue? Why was it _frowning?_

The only thing that snapped it from its thoughts was the sudden sound of Gavin's laughter. Richard immediately returned to reality, making direct eye contact with its partner. "What is so funny, Detective?"

"Your fuckin' _face._ You look like an angry puppy!"

For a moment, Richard did not understand what he was talking about. Then, it realized it was still frowning. Forcing itself to return to and maintain a neutral expression didn't stop Gavin's laughter, however, which frustrated it a little more than it cared to mention. It said nothing about it for fear of another software instability or otherwise concerning system error. Gavin's laughter continued to agitate it for a bit, and when he finally calmed down, he patted Richard on the shoulder and smirked up at him. "C'mon, prick. We have some investigating to do."

Richard didn't bother to grace the statement with an answer. It allowed Gavin to lead the way, following him further into the house. Almost immediately, Gavin let out a growling noise. "God, that smell is fuckn' disgusting."

"Well, it _is_ a crime scene, Detective. They were instructed not to dispose of or otherwise move the body, so-"

"I don't need your damn input on everything. Just phck off and start doing whatever you do at these places."

Another frown crossed its facial features, but Richard immediately shook it off. It wandered past its partner, glancing around the scene. The otherwise clean room had a small pool of blood on the carpet, originating from the body, which had his legs crossed with the rest of him positioned against the wall. Richard scanned over it, gathering information about the victim. His name was Victor Jones, just as the officer had said, aged 36 years old. According to its findings, the man was currently unemployed due to a mass lay off at his old company a month back. The cause of death appeared to be the stab wound in the man's chest, but it wasn't quite convincing enough for the android. Richard knelt beside him, examining him further. It touched part of the blood and brought its fingers to its mouth, putting the sample in its mouth to analyze it further. "God, gross!" Gavin exclaimed behind it, scowling down at his partner as it performed its duties. Richard ignored him, focusing on its mission. Once the blood finished going through its system, its head tilted slightly.

"There is a high amount of red ice in this man's blood stream," it stated bluntly, standing from its position. "A very similar amount to the previous victims. This man was definitely killed by the same person." It paused for a moment to glance around the body more. "Like the others, he was most likely too high to feel the pain of the knife, let alone be able to tell he was in a dangerous situation."

Gavin stayed silent for a moment before sighing softly. He took his cigarette from his mouth and crushed it against the carpet, despite the fact they were at a crime scene (Richard contemplated scolding him, but decided that may not be the best option at the moment). Finally, Gavin spoke in a hushed tone. “Alright,” he started, putting his hands in his pockets. “Start reconstructing the events, or whatever, and then we’ll get the hell out of here, m’kay?”

Of course, Richard nodded. It walked back to the front door and stepped outside, looking over the dent that had been forced into the wood. Once it had looked over the damage, Richard concluded this was made by Victor; the size of the dent fit that of his shoe size, but considering this was the man’s own house, it concluded he (most likely) had no malicious intentions, and simply lost his keys as Richard had thought earlier. As it continued through the house, it took note of multiple other clues. There were dirty plates on the kitchen table, indicating that the victim had recently finished dinner. Richard took note of the fact there were two plates that had been in use, not just one, before continuing with what it was doing. On the floor, there was a cloudy, glass pipe, likely used not long before Victor's unfortunate demise. Inside it were the remnants of red ice. According to its scans, Richard concluded that there were two people inside the house at the time of the murder, explaining the two plates on the table. At first, it was unsure if the second person was a friend, or the murderer himself; however, the longer it examined the area, the easier it was able to tell that, more than likely, the second person was the murderer. Richard frowned without thinking about it too much.

"It appears that the killer was close to the victim," it announced once it located Gavin again. "That, or the victim trusted the killer enough to let him inside willingly. Either way, there is no sign of forced entry, other than the dent in the door. I believe that dent was put there by the victim, though, not the killer."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "Why the _fuck_ would anyone kick their own door in?"

"My only guess is that he lost his keys. It's his own door, he can do what he wants with it."

"Yeah, guess you got a point. So, what else you got, plastic?"

Richard narrowed its eyes slightly at the use of the word "plastic", but shook it off before continuing. "I believe the victim allowed the killer to come into the house. They proceeded to have dinner. Afterwards, I believe they smoked the red ice together."

"Mm. So, they stuffed their faces, then got high. Typical Friday night. What next?"

"They more than likely spent the next five minutes watching television, or perhaps doing something else to entertain themselves. This is when the killer struck; he stabbed the victim in the heart, killing him almost instantly."

"Where did he get the knife?"

"My assumption is that he brought it with him. None of the knives in the kitchen are missing."

The detective snorted, unphased. "Anythin' else?"

"I have confirmed my earlier suspicion that the victim would not have felt the pain of the knife, due to the large amount of red ice in his system."

"Great. So, where'd he get it? The drugs, I mean."

Richard paused. Its LED, for the first time of the day, flashed yellow, but quickly returned to a solid blue. "I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps the murderer brought it, but it is equally possible that the victim already had some on hand, and was simply kind enough to share."

Gavin chuckled softly. "Crazy dipshit." He glanced around the scene one more time, then started to walk away. A hand was placed on Richard's shoulder as he spoke again. "Let's go, Dick. We have more work to do."

The android watched its partner walk away, the LED immediately cycling red. While it began to follow Gavin almost instantly, Richard was, once again, frustrated. It ducked into the car, and as Gavin sped away from the scene, a familiar thing visible only to his partner reappeared.

_Software Instability ^_

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin's issues surface a little, but not even the most advanced android on the market can figure out what's going on with its partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a slightly unrelated note, I'm contemplating doodling a few scenes that will happen in the future, but I'm not sure of it yet. If you guys seem interested, I'll do so and link whatever platform I post on in a later chapter.
> 
> Anywho, hopefully the third chapter will be the last build-up one. I don't want to rush, but I'm boring myself while writing out and revising these first few.

 ↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

When Richard stepped into the police station the following evening, it was shocked to see Gavin at his desk, going over what appeared to be paperwork from the day before. He didn't seem to notice the appearance of his partner, but that was fine with Richard; it strolled up behind Gavin's chair and simply stood there, hands behind its back while it analyzed the papers before it. For the most part, they just detailed the information they had on the investigation so far. Some key facts, however, were missing, such as the latest victim's name. Richard cocked an eyebrow. "Detective."

"Fuck!" Gavin jolted, dropping his stack of papers in the process. He whirled around in his chair, eyes wide in shock for only a moment. They narrowed once he realized who- no, _what-_ had scared him. "What the hell, prick!? Is it that hard to say something in _front_ of me!?"

"No. However, scaring you is..." It paused, attempting to find the proper word. "Entertaining. Scaring you is entertaining."

"Whatever. Get your metal ass over here and help me go through this shit."

The android sat on the edge of the desk, picking up and sorting the dropped papers as it did so. "I actually had no intention of scaring you this time," it began, placing the papers beside the keyboard. "I just wanted to point something out."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what is it?"

"These don't include important information that is worth noting." It pointed to the top page. "This doesn’t even name the victim from yesterday."

"Who cares? _We_ know who he is, and that's all that matters."

"Don't you think everyone should be able to know? What if someone else would have to take up this case? They wouldn't have any idea who this is, or even the cause of death, according to this."

The detective rolled his eyes. "Fuckin' hell. Cause of death should be implied from the last bunch of paperwork."

Richard sighed, finally deciding there was no point in arguing with Gavin. He would never bother to show his irritation (if he even had any) around the android. "Is this all that was provided?" it asked after another short pause, thumbing through the papers a few times.

"Yeah. It’s pathetic, right? But whatever, we should just compare whatever we got to the shit we already had.”

"Yes. I'll go get the rest of-"

"Don't bother. I already got it, it's on the other desk."

Surprised, Richard turned, doubting that its partner _actually_ did something work-related for himself. Sure enough, though, there were the rest of the necessary papers on the desk beside them. It grabbed them, looking them over quickly. They all detailed the evidence from their individual scenes, including the cause of death and the proper victim names. "Hm. So you did." It looked back at Gavin. "Shall we continue?"

Gavin only grunted in response, opening each of the folders. He pointed to the contents of the first one, and Richard took note that it was the folder with the largest amount of papers and evidence documentation. "Here's the first victim. Anita Williams, thirty-four. Found high as hell and stabbed in the heart." He glanced at the second folder. "Third and fourth victims, an android and its owner. If the android had a name, we didn't find out, but the human's Julia Rodriguez. Thirty-seven, also stabbed in the heart. She had less red ice in her system according to the autopsy. Hell, she lived for a few hours after bein' stabbed."

"How did the android die?" Richard asked, staring at the pictures of the victims.

"Hunk of junk was bashed in the head with something. We don't know what, but afterwards, its uh...heart thing was ripped out. Might've been taken by the killer, since we didn't find it anywhere in the area."

"Interesting. Have there been other android victims?"

"Nope. If there have been, we haven't found them yet."

Richard continued to stare at the papers. It didn't understand why an android was killed along with the humans. At first, it thought perhaps it was due to circumstance. _Maybe the android walked in on the murder, and the killer had to act fast?_ No, the evidence just didn't add up; it had been killed too brutally to be a quick, panicked kill. "Detective, what motivation would someone have to kill an android?"

"Besides hating them? I don't fucking know."

Not the answer it was looking for, but Richard chose not to ask again for the time being. Instead, it directed its attention to the state of its partner, who looked...worse than usual, if it were being honest. Gavin _always_ looked like he got about thirty minutes of sleep a night. But this time, he looked as though he hadn't slept at all. This concerned Richard; this behavior didn’t seem typical of its partner. Nonetheless, it ignored said concern, knowing Gavin would simply tell it to fuck off, or some equivalent to that.

"Surely there would be a more...practical motive," it suggested, frowning slightly. "Android or not, murder is murder. And most murders don't occur without some type of motive."

"Guess you got a point there, tin can." Gavin tapped his fingers on his desk while gazing at the small piles of evidence. "I still can't think of another reason to kill an android though. I mean, come on, most motives now kinda revolve around hate of some sort, right?"

"That's true. But this just feels like it has more behind it..."

"Don't bother thinking too much of it, Dick."

Richard narrowed its eyes at the use of the "nickname" it still loathed so much, but said nothing of it. It was more focused on what Gavin had said. "I still can't think of another reason to kill an android" continued to repeat in Richard's mind, causing the LED on its temple to flare a brilliant red from...from what, exactly, it couldn't tell. Anxiety, maybe? That was the only logical conclusion, but that in itself brought up another issue; why was it feeling anxious? Richard did a quick search through its software, hoping it was some strange programming installed to make it come off as more human. Its search came to a conclusion that it didn't like.

_Software Instability^_

Another one of those errors. They were becoming more frequent, and Richard wasn't exactly sure what to think of that. Were the errors something it could fix? Were they damaging its system? Were they _normal?_ It couldn't tell on its own, but it was honestly scared to look it up online. _Self-diagnostics via the internet do not work for humans, so why would they work for me? I shall ignore it for now,_ it finally concluded. While coming to this conclusion, Richard began to wonder if it could diagnose what was wrong with its partner; Gavin still seemed off to it, something causing a little more concern than it wanted to acknowledge.

The snap of fingers caught Richard’s attention almost instantly. It looked over, making direct eye contact with Gavin. “Dipshit, get me a coffee,” he ordered, the venom on his tongue striking Richard to its core. Nevertheless, it got up and walked toward the break room, prepared to get its partner some coffee, when it realized something; this was a ridiculous amount of caffeine in a shot amount of time. Yes, Gavin was well known for consuming a huge chunk of the precinct’s coffee when he wasn’t in the field, but even for him, this was a lot. Richard had been keeping track of how much he had had in the last hour, and so far, this was his fifth cup.

 _He’s more tired than usual. This much caffeine all at once isn’t healthy. Perhaps I should confront him about it._ Richard poured the coffee into a clean cup, discarding a few dingy ones while making a reminder for itself to clean those later. It dumped some sugar into the cup, stirred it until it was sure everything was mixed in precisely, and returned to the desk. Thankfully, Gavin hadn’t wandered off; he was still there, now working on entering the information on the papers into the data banks from his computer. “Here you go, Detective. Just the way you like it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Gavin grabbed the cup almost as quickly as it had been set on his desk and sipped it. He took a moment to process the flavor, then shrugged. “’S okay. Could’ve been a little sweeter, but you did pretty good, tin can.”

Richard took the praise without issue. It smiled a little to itself, but that smile faded quickly when it recalled how worried it had been for its partner’s well-being only minutes ago. Despite its better judgment, it opted to question Gavin about whatever might have kept him from obtaining a well deserved rest. “Detective, may I ask you a personal question?”

Gavin growled softly under his breath as he typed. He _hated_ that phrase. It was the exact one that Connor tormented him with on a daily basis, word for word. He slowly looked toward the android beside him, his eyes narrowed in irritation. “Make it fast,” he hissed between his teeth.

“Why do you seem as though you didn’t sleep last night?”

“Why is that any of your business?”

The answer came too quickly for Richard to accept it. "Please, Detective, I am only worried about your safety. This much caffeine isn't healthy for a person of your stature, especially all in the span of an hour, so I really-"

"Listen, Dick. I appreciate your little concern program being activated over me, or whatever, but honestly, I'm fuckin' fine. So I didn't sleep very well, big whoop. It's normal for humans, got me? Sometimes we just don't function right, and there isn't much we can do about it." He shrugged as he took another gulp of the coffee. "Drop it now."

Richard only nodded in response, and Gavin turned back to continue putting the needed information from the case files into the computer system. Despite the fact it had just been told to stop interfering, Richard did a quick scan over its partner, still not entirely convinced he was okay. In its vision, it could see the results of the scan slowly beginning to process and appear; all they showed, however, was what it already knew about. The same lack of sleep it had picked up on thirty minutes after walking in. Disappointed, but now satisfied, it dismissed the results and concluded that, even though it worried for him, Gavin was just fine, and would be better after a proper amount of rest.

A small beep came from the watch on Gavin's wrist. He sighed softly, powering the computer down and shoving himself back from the desk. "Quittin' time. Cool." He looked up at Richard as he smugly downed the rest of his coffee. "Well, for me anyway. Thankfully, even when you have to come in half way through my damn shift, you have to finish whatever I don't finish during the night."

The android nodded. "Correct. I promise I will."

Gavin rolled his eyes, standing from the seat and adjusting his jacket a little. "Whatever. Just don't fuck it up, tin can." He walked past it quickly, not wishing to be near the android longer than he needed to be.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

The parking lot Gavin used was located a few blocks away from the precinct, and he used that one on purpose. He hated when people parked near him, and thankfully for him, the lot was located far enough away that nobody really used it; in fact, aside from himself, only the occasional group of tour buses used it regularly. Gavin's car was easy enough to spot; a maroon twenty-thirteen Dodge Charger in nearly pristine condition, only consisting of a single scratch across the right head light. He'd never bothered to have it repaired. It was just a scratch, why waste money on something that gave the vehicle character? Even with the uprising of self-driving cars, people were still permitted to drive their manual cars, no matter how old they were. The detective was one of the few who drove his own car, only utilizing the new technology when his was being repaired. He unlocked it, tossed his jacket into the passenger seat, and sat down, slumping into the driver's seat as he closed the door behind him. His hands reached out, grabbing the steering wheel tightly. He tapped his fingers across it, becoming buried in his thoughts.

"I don't understand how Richard managed to figure out that shit was different with me." Gavin voiced his concerns aloud, remembering he was alone in a small safe space at the moment. "I mean, yeah. It's a fuckin' android. But so what? I hid _everything._ Every little trace. I made sure not even that 'state of the art' piece of metal could figure me out." He growled slightly as he started the car up. "I guess it _technically_ didn't figure anything out, but still! It knew something was wrong. That's the problem." After a few minutes of simply idling, letting the car warm up a little to get everything flowing, Gavin drove off, speeding even though he didn't have a reason to. He didn't even live that far away; ten miles was roughly ten minutes going the proper speed limit.

Soon, he reached the apartment complex that he had called home for a few years now. Gavin pulled into the small chunk of pavement he had dubbed his "parking space" and shut the car off. Almost too quickly, he grabbed his jacket and began to head up the stairs, toward the third story of the building. He fumbled for his keys, and as soon as he reached for the lock with them, he noticed it.

The small black bag and the note taped to the door.

Gavin yanked it down quickly, shoving it in his pocket before glancing around almost frantically. He hoped desperately that nobody was around; thankfully, he was the only one in the area. Too impatient to even unlock the door, he pulled the objects back out, then began reading the note.

“ _Had a little extra from my last batch. Yours now, no charge.” -C.E._

A small, overly excited grin crossed the man's facial features. "Damn, and I thought this day was destine to be shit. Looks like I get to relax a little, after all." The detective unlocked his door, opened it, and slid inside the apartment quickly, frantically locking the door behind him as he did so, eager to begin his version of a "fun night in".

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ay! A good buddy of mine (who also happens to be my new beta reader) helped so much on this chapter. I'm so thankful for them in my life, they're helping me get the ball rolling much faster than I could have done on my own. They wrote a massive chunk of this chapter with me, so many kudos to them. Anyway, now that shit has somewhat hit the fan, we can finally move into the interesting stuff. Enjoy!

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Being late hadn't been in Richard's plans. For the time being, it had been issued a small apartment by the Detroit police department, and Gavin had orders to pick it up and take it with him to work (unless one of them was supposed to be there earlier or later, which meant Richard would just walk to the nearest bus stop). It had given thought to what to do if something were to ever happen, but never came to a solid conclusion.

So of course, when Gavin failed to show up on time, Richard really had no clue what to do. At first, it opted for walking to the bus stop.

"I'm already late. At this point, it does not matter when I show up," it decided. However, once it had gotten there, it recalled how the buses only ran for a few hours at a time. It would be two more before they picked up their afternoon routes. With that plan out of the way, Richard headed back to its apartment to contemplate what else to do. It tapped its fingers across its counter for a little bit, but when it quickly realized it had no other options, it sighed in realization.

It would have to go on foot.

Being an android, Richard saw no problem with this. It would never get tired, and if it sprinted at full speed, it could get to the precinct within forty minutes evenly. It gathered up some of the paperwork it had brought home a few nights before, then proceeded to start its journey.

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As soon as it entered the precinct, Richard was met with a bit of chaos. Many of the officers were gathered around, seemingly discussing something to do with the case it had been working with Gavin. _Did we get a new lead in my absence? Oh, this is not good._ Richard began to stroll over to its desk, prepared to place his paperwork there, but was almost instantly interrupted.

"Richard!"

It whipped around, making direct eye contact with Tina. She jogged up to it, and it noted the look of panic and worry written across her facial features. "Richard, how did you get here? Where's Gavin?"

"I apologize, Officer Chen. I haven't a clue where Detective Reed is. He never showed up to my apartment, so I sprinted here."

Tina's jaw dropped. "You _ran_ here?" She frowned. "That's...well, I suppose you're okay. You're not even dirty." A pause, but then she continued speaking again. "Also, please just call me Tina. We're friends here, right Rich?"

Honestly, Richard didn't know how to reply. It disliked the term "friends", seeing it as an issue in the workplace and an issue with its mission. However, it saw no need to upset its fellow coworker. "Yes, we are friends, Tina. I apologize for being too formal."

The worried look faded a little as she chuckled. "It's okay. But...that still doesn't tell us where Gavin is."

"Did he call in sick?"

"No. We can't seem to get a hold of him, and there's been another victim."

"How come you seem so worried? I'm certain he is fine."

She averted her eyes, directing her gaze to the floor. "I worry a lot. There's some stuff he did when he was younger and...well, I don't think he ever really recovered. But I'm sure you're right. He's probably just still sleeping."

Richard's LED flared red momentarily before settling back to a stable yellow. "If it would put your mind at ease, I can head to his apartment and check on him."

"While that sounds lovely, I don't recommend it, Rich. He's barely okay with _me_ showing up unannounced. I can't imagine how he'd react to you doing that." She offered a gentle smile. "We'll just keep trying to contact him for now. Fowler said to tell you that you're going to be working with Ben today, and until Gavin gets back."

"Understood. Thank you for letting me know."

"No problem. Ben's over there, he's been waiting patiently for you."

Richard nodded, smiling a little before proceeding to the other officer. Ben glanced at him, grinning a little to himself. "What's up, Richard? Finally ready to go to the scene?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for taking so long, I had to proceed on foot."

"You're kidding. You know you could have just called one of us, right? We would've picked you up on the way to the crime scene."

As soon as the statement settled in, Richard's LED flickered between its yellow and red states. _Why didn't I realize that?_ "Ah, yes, of course. How silly of myself."

Ben chuckled and patted its shoulder. "No problemo. Just get on in the car, we can take care of it without Gavin for one day." He began to walk away, and Richard followed close behind. As they climbed into the car, its LED settled on a solid red swirl.

_I can't help but wonder what's keeping Gavin. Not being able to contact him is troublesome as well. This is not normal._

It forced itself to calm down as they pulled away from the curb, tapping its fingers against the door while trying to temporarily forget about Gavin.

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The first thing they noticed was the massive amount of people gathered around the crime scene. As the car pulled to a stop, Richard and Ben watched as some of the officers had to push civilians back from the area. "God," Ben started, shutting the car off as he stared at the people, "what could have happened here to gather so many people?"

Richard offered no answer. It opened the door and stepped out with its temporary partner, examining the area. Somewhat populated by houses, something that every scene seemed to share lately, each of them in a mostly run-down, nearly inhabitable condition. The only thing that stood out was the large hotel which, ironically, seemed to be the sight of the newest murder. Immediately, Richard began to analyze it, but was soon unable to find a definite name for the building. Agitating, but it could gather this information from pedestrians and locals. _I only need it for the records, anyway,_ it concluded, following Ben as they stepped closer to the blocked-off area.

Similar to that of the last crime scene, the place was a complete catastrophe. From what it could see of the surrounding area, everything was a mess. People were in a panic, crying about what would happen if they were next, what would happen to their families. But Richard had no reason to concern itself with such things. The only thing it had to concern itself with was the case.

After several minutes of waiting for the humans to move out of the way of the door, it would appear Ben had had enough. With a grunt, he pushed his way through the hordes and straight through to the glass doors that were already covered in bright caution tape.

Richard followed without a word, simply following protocol despite all the comotion. This is the kind of situation it was brought in for.

As soon as it made it past the glass doors, the stench of blood hit its nose, leading down to the smell sensors in seconds. The smell was repulsive, even to it. The fact that Gavin was not there to be his rude, brooding self made it all the worse. Its entire focus was solely on the scent, the scent and the sight before it.

It was obvious to Richard that this was very different from the usual scenes. Of all the murders, this was the first to take place in plain sight of civilians. The victim appeared to have been trying to evade the killer, which would lead to the conclusion that either the red ice hadn’t had efficient time to set in, or the killer was rushed by some outlying factor that had yet to make itself known.

The victim himself was a middle aged man with a large beer belly and angry looking stretch marks revealed by his ripped shirt.

“So, what would you make of this one, Richard?” Ben asked, then glanced at the body with a frustrated sigh. “Since you actually have an idea as to what in the sam hell you’re doing here.”

“I do not know. Give me a moment to further analyse the scene,” Richard nearly snapped. Then it frowned at itself. “I apologize, Ben. That was uncalled for.”

“Nevermind it. Just do your thing,” Ben muttered blandly.

Richard nodded once before going closer to the body. The blood was fresh, more so than it was accustomed to with these cases. Nevertheless, it continued.

“The blade used appears to have been consistent with those used in all previous attacks. It would also appear that the victim ran from the left stairs in attempt to evade the killer,” it stated, before looking to one of the cops who were already at the scene. “What is the victim's’ name?” it asked.

“Devin. Devin Hadley. He is thirty five years of age, approximately two hundred and thirty pounds.”

That name made it cry internally.

_Software Instability^_

Richard immediately checked itself, frustration building on frustration.

_Software Instability^_

Fuck.

Inhaling the deep, dank scent of the still fresh-ish blood, Richard tried to calm itself to the best of its ability. Too much was going on in its head. There was bound to be something going wrong with its software.

_I cannot focus on this now. It will have to wait until I arrive back at my home._

Richard took a deep breath. Despite the fact that it had no real need to breathe, it found that the act seemed to keep its mind straight in times of need. As it exhaled, it felt its systems straighten out slightly. Enough to continue with the investigation, anyway.

While distracting itself with its protocol, the low grumble of an engine could be heard creeping up slowly. Richard recognized it instantly, knowing it belonged to Gavin’s Charger. It turned slowly, watching as the maroon car jerked to a stop, which caused it to frown slightly. Gavin was a reckless driver when the android was in the passenger seat, but all he was really known to do was speed when he was alone. This made its LED cycle red almost instantly.

_Something is wrong with Gavin._

The android kept its eyes on its partner as he stepped out from the car. He hadn’t even shut the engine off before he shut the door. Richard’s expression shifted into one of intense worry as it watched Gavin walk- no, stumble- into the hotel. Out of habit, Richard scanned him. The results startled it a little more than it had expected.

**_[Scan Results]:_ ** _Traces of red ice on jacket. Heart rate decreased five percent. Signs of sleep deprivation (about two hours gained in the last twenty-four hour cycle)._

“Detective Reed!” Richard cried, sprinting towards its partner. Gavin grunted in response, bloodshot eyes focused on the android.

“The fuck do you want, tin can?” he asked in a low tone, almost a growl. Richard reached for his arm, but he jerked it back. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me. I’m fine.”

“I didn’t even ask if you were okay.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, well. You were probably going to. That’s your thing.”

“Detective, I am very concerned for your health. You are suffering from a greater lack of sleep than yesterday, and you seem to be...impaired.”

Gavin snarled. “Fuck off! I’m fine!” With that, he stormed back toward his car, most likely so he could shut it off and lock it. Richard watched, LED stuck on a solid red.

_Software Instability^_

Ben, who didn’t seem to notice anything strange or out of character, was simply standing there, watching as Richard did as it was programmed. He had zoned out slightly, his mind wandering to trivial things. _Why do androids look so human? Why does this one have to_ eat _the evidence?_ Things that really should not have been his main concern, but honestly? Ben was no detective; he was a normal policeman. His daily duties consisted of arrests, chases, and paperwork, not detective work. He made a mental note to kick Gavin for not showing up on time today, but later, seeing as right now, said individual didn’t look like he was even in the right state of mind.

Suddenly, something grabbed at his hip. Ben took half a second too long to register just what it was, or rather, what was in that area. Once he realized it was his gun, he was too late; his attempts to grab the foreign hand which had stolen his firearm were futile. “Hey!” he cried, prepared to begin the chase he knew he was in for. The shout caught Richard’s attention, and it directed its gaze to the sprinting human, clad in all black, that had stolen its temporary partner’s gun. At first, it seemed as though Ben, who had began darting after the man, had the situation under control, and Richard could go about its business. However, something kept it from looking away.

_That man is not attempting to run away._

_Software Instability^_

Richard’s silver eyes continued to follow him. Panic and anxiety washed over the android, its LED flaring a brilliant red once it locked on to what-no, _who-_ he was going after. A new protocol appeared in its vision.

_Protect Detective Reed._

A red wall appeared suddenly, and time seemed to slow down. Richard gazed at it, concern beginning to flood over its usually-stoic facial features. It was torn between two demands.

Protect Detective Reed, or follow the previous orders.

Richard placed its hands on the wall, pushing at it with as much as it could muster in a short burst. _I have to protect Gavin._

The man managed to get far enough that he could stop, and Ben still wouldn’t be able to catch him. He drew the gun, looking for his target. Richard’s eyes widened in fear.

_Software Instability^_

It pushed on the wall again.

_Software Instability^_

It backed up, then ran at the wall, slamming its whole body into it. It cracked a little, and Richard growled.

_Protect Detective Reed._

It repeated the action, cracking the wall further.

_Protect Gavin._

_Software Instability^_

As it broke the wall, its mind raced, and something clicked in it. Gavin was in danger. Gavin Reed, the detective who had fried sensors out of generated anger, who managed to piss the android off on a near daily basis, was in danger. And Richard knew that it- actually,  _he_ suddenly felt more appropriate- needed to do something about it.

The gun was risen into the air, right as Gavin turned. His gray eyes widened in terror. With time still seemingly slowed, he was able to watch as Richard went into a full charge toward him. _What is that tin can doing!?_ he thought, his heart racing while he watched.

Everything that followed happened so quickly. The gun went off, and Gavin’s eyes squeezed shut; but, strangely enough, he felt no pain. Had he died instantly? He opened his eyes, expecting to see some form of light. Instead, despite still being impaired from the night before, he managed to register the new scene before him. The masked gunman was gone, Ben’s stolen weapon now discarded on the ground. People were screaming again, and officers were shouting various commands and slurs from irritation and fear. On the ground, however, is what _really_ caught Gavin’s attention.

Richard lay there, three bullets lodged in his body. Thirium poured from his wounds, and something compelled Gavin to drop beside him. Despite his hate for the android, that’s exactly what he did; he fell to his knees, grabbing Richard by the shoulders. “Oh, fuck. What did you do that for!?”

The android slowly looked toward him, eyes half-lidded and LED red, blinking rapidly. He squinted for a moment, causing Gavin to frown, but a smile soon crossed his lips. “You are more important than I am,” he whispered gently. “You cannot…” A cough interrupted him, some thirium dripping down his chin in thick drops. “You cannot be replaced, Gavin.” He closed his eyes, the smile still on his face as a final thought crossed his mind.

_I am just as human as him._

The LED slowly lost all color, and Gavin’s eyes widened.

Even though he despised Richard’s existence, he couldn’t help the panicked scream that ripped itself from his throat as the realization that his partner had just perished struck him the way he had anticipated the bullets should have.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Overnight, the temperature had dropped significantly. Detroit was typically a frigid city either way, but it had become cold enough to snow. Fluffy flakes floated down from the cloudy sky, sticking to the surfaces below and building upon themselves until a thick layer formed over everything on the earth's floor. A small, usually overlooked road was now impossible to locate without a GPS or prior knowledge of its existence. At the end of it stood a lone, large mansion. Said building had only one owner, but it housed a total of four individuals; one young human, and three identical androids.

The inside of the mansion was warm, an optimal seventy-five degrees in fact. The scent of hot chocolate wafted in from the kitchen, traveled to the living room, and struck the nose of the only human occupant. Elijah's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, he had no idea how he had gotten to the couch.

_Ah, yes. She carried me here. How forgetful of me._

He sat up, his long, black hair falling down his back. The man felt for his hair tie, but was unable to locate it. _No matter. I have more elsewhere._ Standing slowly, he stretched, the bath robe he dawned raising higher up the length of his body, and yawned softly. This caught the attention of one of the androids, who peeked into the living room. Her bright, blue eyes sparkled, and her blonde hair fell gracefully along her left shoulder, covering the strap of her blue dress.

"Elijah, I have prepared some hot cocoa for you," she stated softly, a hint of optimism in her tone.

"Thank you, Chloe. I will come and get it momentarily."

"Okay. I will leave it on the table for you." With a smile, she pivoted and walked out of view. Elijah took a few more minutes to pop various places of his body back into place, but finally, he strolled into the kitchen, marveling at the perfectly crafted mug of hot chocolate that had been placed on the table. He grabbed it, admiring the whipped cream that had been placed precisely on top, and sniffed it. As expected, it smelled divine. He took a sip, immediately enlightened by the enriching flavors.

"Delicious as always, Chloe!" he called across the kitchen, taking another sip of it. "Wonderful work, as usual."

A small giggle came from a few rooms over, and Elijah took that as a "thank you", knowing his android companions sometimes had trouble accepting compliments. That was their only flaw (aside from their deviancy, which he didn't actually mind, but _technically_ , that was also a flaw on its own); besides that, they were perfect. At one point, he had considered the fact that they all had the same name an issue, but realized that had been a mistake on his part, and he refused to fault them for that. All three androids were consistent with keeping themselves well-groomed and maintaining the mansion, something Elijah appreciated more than he cared to mention. Sometimes, he felt bad for not constantly complimenting them; however, at one point, they had let him know how unnecessary that really was. Even though they had deviated, they were more than happy with just the act of assisting him.

While buried in his thoughts, Elijah nearly failed to recognize the sound of the doorbell as it rang throughout the household. He placed his mug in his palm before calmly saying, "Chloe, will one of you please get the door?"

Of course, one of them scampered by. Unlike the one who had served him the hot chocolate, this one was dressed in a red dress. Despite the fact he was the creator of the entire android race, Elijah still considered his decision to give his androids different colored clothing his best idea to date. The door opened, and he could somewhat make out a few voices, one being Chloe's, and the other belonging to a man. Oddly, said man sounded similar to himself, but Elijah chose to brush it off; there was no way _he_ would have ever come to his home. Not for anything.

Well, so he _thought_ , anyway.

Chloe came back into the kitchen, some of her synthetic skin tinted red from the cold. "Elijah, you have a visitor. If you would like me to escort him out, I will be more than happy to-"

He cut her off. "It's okay. Let him in."

She nodded, then vanished again. Moments later, the android returned with a man following her. Said man was carrying the body of an android. Elijah looked up, nearly dropping his mug when he made eye contact with Gavin. Slowly, he took in the situation presented to him; his half brother, holding the body of an RK900 android, that of which had three bullet wounds in it, was willingly standing in his household. Blue blood stained the duo's clothing, but it was beginning to fade from the naked eye. Eventually, he made eye contact with the detective again.

"Ah, Gavin. A pleasant surprise," Elijah began, pausing only to take a sip of his cocoa. "I did not expect to ever see you again in my life time. Does police business bring you here?"

Gavin offered no verbal reply. Instead, he outstretched his arms, presenting Richard's body to his half brother. At this, Elijah only frowned.

"My dear brother, I cannot do anything if you do not explain to me what has happened..."

He said something, but it was too quiet to be heard. Elijah raised an eyebrow, and Gavin grunted. "Fix it."

"Excuse me?"

"Fix it. I need you to fix it. Please."

Shock washed over Elijah. "But...you _hate_ my creations. What has prompted you to bring this one back for me to repair?"

At first, Gavin contemplated lying, for the sake of his ego. _Police protocol. Tell him you need it back in working order for the job._ No, no. He knew better than to do that. Reluctantly, he began to speak the truth.

"It's my fault it's broken. It jumped in the way of a few bullets for me and..." He growled to himself. "Fuck, I don't know. I feel...guilty about it."

Elijah smiled softly. "Aw, my baby brother is finally starting to feel emotions." He snickered at Gavin's irritated noises as he placed his mug back on the table. "Of course I will fix him." The older man looked toward Chloe, saying, "Chloe, please make Gavin some coffee while I begin repairing his partner," and then proceeded to wander away. Chloe nodded, gesturing to a chair, which Gavin hesitantly sat in while the android proceeded to do as she had been told.

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_**[Powering On]** _

_25%...50%...75%...100%. System on._

_Checking OS...OS functional._

_**[Running System Self-Check]** _

_**[Designated Name]** _ _Richard._

 _**[Processing Systems]** _ _In tact._

 _**[Bio-Components]** _ _Optimal._

 _**[Synth-Skin]** _ _Optimal._

_**[Status]** _

_..._

_..._

_..._ _**[FATAL ERROR]** _

_Internal systems are critically damaged. Machine state is questionable. Please consult local CyberLife facility for repair or deactivation._

Richard opened his eyes slowly. He scanned the surrounding area, questioning how he had gotten to his current location, wherever that may be. It seemed relatively clean and well organized, something that, for a moment, put his mind to ease. However, once he realized he couldn't move, panic set in.

_Fuck. What's happening?_

He blinked a few times, attempting to better situate his optical sensors. As he looked around, he realized the freakishly obvious reason he was unable to move; he was restrained by his arms and legs, attached to some kind of mechanism which held him in mid-air.

As he was about to succumb to his fear, a man he had never seen before walked in. Normally, this sort of situation would only advance Richard's issues; however, nothing about this man seemed relatively threatening at all.

Well, aside from the machine he was strapped into, of course.

"Hello Richard. How are you feeling?"

Richard frowned. "I am a machine. I can't feel."

The man chuckled softly. "You would be surprised."

"Who are you? Why am I being restricted?"

Another chuckle. "I do apologize, I suppose you don't recall what happened."

_What does he mean? What happened to me?_

He took a few steps forward and began to unhook his arms and legs. "My name is Elijah Kamski, and I am the creator of the androids. My half brother and your partner, Gavin Reed, brought you here, saying you took three bullets for him." Once he was free, Elijah helped him down from the machine. "He asked me to repair you. Of course, I did. Had he not brought you here, I'm not sure you would be alive today."

The android blinked. "Alive? But...but Mister Kamski, I cannot be alive. I am a machine."

Elijah patted his shoulder. "My dear boy, you have deviated. You are alive now, free to do as you please."

Of course, the news hit Richard hard. He flinched, LED immediately cycling red. _Is that why I feel more comfortable identifying as a male rather than an object now?_ He whined softly. "But I cannot be deviant! It will interfere with my investigations!"

"Darling, it's okay. Deviating is what saved Gavin's life! Had you not done so, you would have simply followed your programming, and my brother would have, unfortunately, been murdered."

"Gavin would have died...if I hadn't broken protocol?"

"Yes, that is correct."

While that was unsettling as well, Richard could not stop himself from asking the burning question that was plaguing his mind. "Mister Kamski...what could have caused me to deviate? I saw many warnings beforehand, but I largely ignored them. My main focus was on my cases."

Elijah paused, looking him up and down, probably trying to figure that out for himself. Finally, he had an odd suggestion.

"Could it be that you, perhaps, care fondly for someone? That messes with humans quite a bit. I cannot imagine what it can do to someone who isn't equipped to handle it."

At first, Richard thought that was ridiculous. There was no way he would let an individual cloud his mind to the point of deviation. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more the pieces came together. He recalled the message that had forced him to break the red wall.

_Protect Gavin Reed._

"Protect Gavin Reed..." Slowly, the android made eye contact with his creator. "Mister Kamski...I believe it may have been your brother who sent me into such deep thoughts..."

Elijah's jaw went slack, his eyes widening a little as he stared at Richard. "You mean to tell me that you care for my brother that much?"

"I believe it's more than simply caring for him."

"How do you mean?"

"I..." Richard hesitated. Was this information he should be sharing with anyone, let alone Gavin's _brother?_ "I don't know how to explain it. I just rather enjoy his company, his existence...even his rudeness."

Almost immediately, Elijah's eyes narrowed. "Are you certain?" he asked in a low tone, stepping closer slowly. Richard gulped- he wasn't even aware he could do that- as he stiffened.

"I'm not certain. But I know I do not despise him the way he does me. I also know I like him more than I would like a...a friend. But..."

The seemingly-angry features soon settled back to their usual stoic ones as Elijah smiled. "Richard, that is precious. I feel similarly to the three androids who live with me." He placed a hand on Richard's shoulder again, smile fading as he began to speak of serious matters. "You need to know a few things, however. For one thing, Gavin is...honestly, he is a mess of a human being. That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be happy. He just needs a very seriously committed partner." He let go, placing his hands behind his back. "Another thing is that...well, android and human relationships are illegal, my darling. We, as a society, have advanced to where we do not care what you do with your own species. For example, humans can be in straight, gay, poly, and many other types of relationships with other humans. The same applies to androids. But once you cross the species line...all hell breaks loose."

Richard felt his artificial muscles tense up as he listened to his creator speak. He gripped the ends of his jacket sleeves, attempting to calm himself. Deep breathing was not helping, and he lacked a coin (or any other object, for that matter) to fiddle with while being fed this heartbreaking information. It was true, what Elijah was telling him, and he had known it for quite some time; however, he never thought _he_ , the most advanced android model of the time, would be suffering through a situation like this. Seeing his tension and stressed state, Elijah offered a small screw that had been sitting on his desk. Richard took it, immediately grateful for the object, while he still processed the information slowly.

"I will not judge you, Richard. I promise. This is a safe place for you two." He smiled softly, eyeing the LED as it slowly settled on a stable yellow. "But do heed my warnings about Gavin, and the law. Be careful of who you trust. Now, off with you. Gavin is probably becoming impatient."

The android nodded, and together, they exited the room. Elijah led the way, proceeding back to the kitchen, where Gavin still sat. He was holding a pink mug now, the white one he had had earlier sitting directly in front of him. His gray eyes locked on Richard, jaw dropping when he saw that he was in perfect condition. "Wow, Eli. You did great. Looks like it just rolled off the assembly line!"

The use of the word "it" upset Richard, but he was unsure if he should acknowledge this; however, Elijah seemed to be a few steps ahead of him. "Gavin, please do not refer to Richard as 'it'. He dislikes it."

"’He’? Really, Eli. I know you like to call your own androids girls and female pronouns and what not, but come on."

"Are you forgetting who created them? Who better would know what they are capable of feeling at any given moment? Aside from themselves, of course." He chuckled a bit. "If one of my girls decided she wanted to be referred to with male or neutral terms, all she would have to do is tell me. Just like humans."

Gavin sneered. "Don't compare them to us."

"Do not argue with me. Richard prefers to be called 'he' now. Get over yourself."

That crossed the line. Gavin growled, ready to swing at his brother. When his fist flew through the air, however, Richard caught it almost instantly.

"Gavin, no. We have more important things to worry about right now," Richard reminded him, letting go of his partner's hand. A light blue tint crept across his cheeks, his LED flickering between yellow and red for a moment before it, too, became blue. Even though this irritated him, Gavin knew the android was right. He would have to duke it out with his brother later, if he ever returned to his home again.

"Fine." He looked at Elijah one last time before looking back at Richard. "I'll meet you in the car," he mumbled before heading out the door. Richard was about to follow him, but was stopped when Elijah touched his shoulder.

"Remember what I said. Mind the law, and be wary of Gavin. If anything ever seems very, and I mean, _very_ wrong with him, come to me. I may be able to help."

Richard nodded, thankful for the final reminder. "Thank you, Mister Kamski."

"Elijah. Please, call me Elijah."

"Of course. Thank you, Elijah."

With that, the android stepped outside, joining his partner shortly after. He sat in the passenger seat, anticipating Gavin to speed away as he did last time. To his surprise, however, this didn’t happen.

“Tin can. Is what he said true? ‘Bout you not wanting to be called ‘it’ anymore?”

Surprised, Richard looked to his partner. “Yes,” he whispered, afraid to give him the answer. “Yes, he is correct.”

“Why?”

He hesitated. “I...do not know why, exactly. It just feels more accurate.” He gestured to his physique, mentally thanking himself for his ability to keep his deviancy a secret from his partner.

Gavin’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Yeah. Okay, fine.” He sighed softly, looking over to his partner. “Look, we’ve _both_ had a long day. This is weird of me to suggest, but how about we just go back to my place for the night? It’ll be a faster morning commute and all too. Easier for both of us, yeah?”

Richard couldn’t help the smile that crossed his lips. “I would love to, Gavin.”

“Cool.”

Gavin slammed on the gas, performing a u-turn and speeding out of Elijah’s yard as fast as his car would take him.

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The door flew open a little violently, and Gavin caught it with his foot before it could slam into the wall behind it. "Make yourself at home," he grumbled as he stepped inside. Richard followed behind him, carrying a few folders and his jacket. Gavin hadn't asked him to, but he felt it was simply a nice gesture; whether Gavin saw it that way, however, was hard to tell.

Overall, the apartment was relatively clean. It was mostly like what Richard had envisioned; some bottles laying around here and there, a few pieces of clothing discarded in random places, and dingy walls, most likely tinted due to cigarette smoke. What he didn't expect to find, though, was a bag of cat food in the corner of the kitchen.

"You have a cat?" he questioned, placing the jacket and folders on the table.

"Yeah." Gavin joined him shortly after. "Two of 'em, actually. Little prissy bitches. I love them anyway, though."

 _I did not think Gavin would be a cat person._ "Where are they?"

"No clue. Might be in my bed room, or they could be on the fire escape. They do as they please and don't really care for my company, unless they need food."

Richard chuckled softly to himself. "I see. You have a nicer household than I had anticipated. It's relieving to know you actually take care of yourself somewhat."

The detective only offered a grunt in response to that statement. He wandered away, leaving Richard to fend for himself. The android simply stood there, assuming his partner would return shortly after; once nearly fifteen minutes had passed, he became concerned.

He decided to call out for him. "Gavin?" No answer came. _Maybe he's just asleep. Better go make sure he isn't suffocating himself._

Gavin, in the meanwhile, was quite entertained with himself. Between the red smoke flying around him and the fuzzy feeling he got from the red ice… nothing else really seemed important to him.

Hell, the whole building could burn. He wouldn’t mind all that much. Except for the mess...his cats… and the tin can that was probably lounging in the living room, nothing in this place mattered to him.

 _It’s so strange,_ Gavin thought. _It-he, whatever, deviated. He took the bullets. He didn’t have to, yet he did. Maybe it’s a part of his newer_ _programming._

He groaned, then took another drag, and entertained himself by attempting to blow smoke rings in the dim lighting of the bedroom.

 _Doesn’t matter,_ he decided. _Nothing matters._

Things just had to get damn complicated that very moment. The door to the room opened, albeit slowly at first, letting the light from the hall into the room, exposing the lingering red tent to the air. Gavin felt his face go pale and at first, for just a second, he felt guilty, and mortified, to have been caught.

Then he smiled.

The android had deviated to protect him. Surely he wouldn’t incriminate him. This should be fine.

“Detective Reed.” Richard’s voice was hard, as cold as stone. “You are putting your health at risk by using this drug. Do you think this is a wise choice?”

“I didn’t ask your opinion, Dick!” Gavin snapped, his good humor vanishing in a flash. He took another drag, only to blow it right toward the android, giving him no doubt whatsoever as to exactly what he was doing. “I'm not hurting anyone. And there's no Red Ice Killer around to get me. It’s fuckin’ fine.”

“No, it’s not.” Richard then proceeded to walk right up to Gavin and grabs his hand. Gavin didn’t even have a second to realize what was happening before there was a sting in his index finger; then, the drug he craved so much was in Richard’s mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing, Tin Can?!” Richard dropped his hand before sending what Gavin could only make out as an attempt at a glare at the detective.

“You are putting your health at risk, Detective.” Richard could feel his temper rise. His LED cycled red, and his eyes hardened. All he could think about was the fact that Gavin had put his life at risk, willingly. And that Richard was not okay with this, not in the least.

What he had said to Elijah was true. He believed that he was falling in love with the Detective. He believed that this was why he deviated. Gavin was shouting at him, but nothing sounded like English (or any other language) to the android. He didn’t give it any second thought as he lunged forward, pinning his partner to the bed. Richard embraced him tightly, pressing the smaller male against his chest. Of course, Gavin’s yelling became more intense, but Richard didn’t care about that. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes as he restrained the detective further.

Eventually, Gavin calmed down, even going as far as to fall asleep. Good thing, too, because Richard lost what was left of his sanity afterwards; he sniffled violently, gasping and chocking on his emotions. The android curled around Gavin’s body, pressing his face against his neck as he began to cry from newfound anxiety and fear.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is kicking my ass, but not nearly as badly as red ice is kicking Gavin's. 
> 
> Warning: an overdose occurs in this chapter. I'm not sure how people feel about those, so tread carefully. Gavin also acts out of character due to the influence of the drugs, but will return to his typical asshole self soon.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

The first thing he noticed was the pressure. The pressure in his head, resulting in a massive, unbearable headache; the pressure around his waist, that of which was pinning his arms against his sides; the pressure against his neck, making him feel a little claustrophobic (which was a foreign feeling for the detective in itself). It was driving him _completely_ up the wall.

 _What the fuck..._ He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid himself of a little of the eye strain. Gavin barely had any memories of the previous night, but he absolutely had to see whatever was restricting him. Slowly, he opened his eyes back up and glanced down.

When he saw the arms around his waist, he was shocked, to say the least.

The detective sighed in frustration, then forced himself to look up, determined to find the source of the arms. Though he wasn't surprised, he was irritated to discover that Richard was the reason for his lack of movement.

"Dick," he mumbled, unsure if he meant that as an insult or genuinely tried to use it as a nickname. The android offered no response. "Damn it, Dick." He struggled in his partner's grasp, violently wiggling in an attempt to escape. The red light from Richard's LED suddenly became visible to the still-dazed man, who let out almost a hissing sound in response.

_I guess it's good to know that he isn't dead. That would be a lot of cash out of my fuckin' paycheck._

Gavin tried, once again, to force himself out of his partner's grasp. The only thing this amounted to was the return of the red glow from his LED, frustrating the detective further. "For fuck's saaaake, geddup." His words started to slur slightly, and he wasn't sure why; usually, his speech was repaired by morning. Regardless, he was through with being restricted by the android who was in his bed for whatever reason. "Richard! Let go!"

A soft gasp came from the android, and he jolted violently, which caused the grip he had on the detective to tighten. Gavin growled in response, yelling, "Are you deaf? Let go of me!" whilst he began to thrash in the android's grasp. Richard, albeit reluctantly, slowly let go, just as his partner had asked. The man began to sit up, and as he did, he felt something distinctly wet on his neck. He glanced down, confused when he noticed that Richard had yet to sit up himself. As if he had heard his thoughts, Richard quickly brought his arm up over his face. Gavin squinted, clearly bewildered by the reaction the android had had. "What the fuck? Did I break something?"

"No!" Richard replied far too quickly, instantly ripping his arm away from its position across his eyes. "No, I'm fine. I apologize for startling you, Gavin."

 _"Gavin?"_ He snorted. "Dick, don't call me by my first name. We aren't friends or anything."

"But...but, you were okay with it last night?"

"The fuck you talkin' about? Why are you here, anyway? We don't have work today."

 _He doesn't remember,_ Richard realized, his LED flashing yellow. "Apologies, Detective. It will not happen again."

"Better not." 

Gavin sat up, watching as Richard backed away, likely to give him more room to maneuver in. He grunted as he looked himself over, noticing he was still wearing the outfit he had on the day before. This wasn't the first time he had done this. It had been a while, however, since the last time he had, and that in itself was semi-concerning. His dark gray eyes traveled up, making contact with Richard's bright silver ones. The android's eyebrows rose in anticipation, and his hands went behind his back slowly.

"Make yourself useful and get me some clean clothes, will ya?" Gavin waved his hand in the direction of his closet. "Should be something in there."

"Of course, Ga-" Richard coughed a little, catching himself before it was too late. "Of course, Detective Reed. One moment." As he turned and began to walk, he felt his thirium pump race. It pained him, even if it shouldn't have, to know that he wasn't as close with his partner as he had hoped; even just the simple act of having to refer to him as "Detective Reed" rather than his first name stung. He opened the closet door, taking note of the array of shirts and different types of pants. "What would you like to wear?" he called, hoping to get some kind of response that would be useful.

"Somethin' comfy," came Gavin's reply. Richard nodded to himself and began to survey his selection of shirts first; there were a few dress shirts, many assorted T-shirts, and some tank tops. Quickly, he checked the outside temperature. 

 _Twenty-six degrees,_ he noted, ignoring the tank tops.  _A long-sleeved shirt would be optimal._ The android dug around for a bit, finally deciding to grab a dark red long-sleeved shirt he had discovered in the back of the closet. It had a simple white skull outline on it, and there were a few rips in the left sleeve. Richard spent less time examining the pants selection, grabbing the first pair of gray sweat pants he stumbled upon. "Do you need anything else?"

"Nah. I'll get clean underwear when I shower."

With that, Richard returned to his partner's bedroom, proudly presenting the clothes he had obtained. Gavin eyed the choices, a small smirk grazing his facial features. "Not bad, Dick," he mumbled, taking the clothes from the taller male. "Figured you'd mess it up a little."

Richard was unsure if he should take that as a compliment. He chose to remain silent, folding his hands behind his back again while watching Gavin turn and begin stripping himself of the clothes from the day prior. Richard took note of every scar across his back, half-tempted to ask him where they had come from. The detective slid into the shirt slowly, groaning in pain when he brought his arms over his head to work it on. He ignored it, however, in favor of kicking his jeans off to replace them with the sweatpants. As his jeans hit the floor, his badge flew from its place, clattering rather loudly when it made contact with the hard wood. Gavin rolled his eyes and looked toward Richard. "Get that for me, Dick."

Of course, Richard did so, albeit a little hesitantly. He reached down, grabbing the object off the floor carefully. Through the short ordeal, Gavin stared at his partner, taking in the appearance of his body. He shook his head quickly, frowning to himself in disappointment as Richard placed the badge on his night stand. Without another word, he stood and disappeared from his bedroom. Richard followed fast, trailing after the detective in concern. Once he noticed, Gavin huffed in annoyance. "Dick, the fuck are you doin'?" he mumbled, glancing back at the android behind him.

"I am merely following you," he replied flatly. 

"Well, knock it off. If you want somethin' to do, you can start by making me something to eat."

"Do you have anything in particular you would like?"

Gavin chuckled at this, amused by the fact the android was actually going to make him food. "Surprise me," was all he said before wandering off toward the living room. Richard immediately took to the internet, attempting to find something basic that he could put his own spin on. Once he settled on pancakes, he began going through the cabinets, scanning their contents and quickly removing what he needed to prepare such a dish. The television suddenly came to life, some type of cop drama making itself known through the speakers. He could hear another groan come from Gavin, presumably as he sat on the couch, but he ignored it as he began to mix some of the ingredients together. As he stirred, something rubbed across his right leg. Richard paid no attention to it at first, but when it happened again, he found himself looking down, meeting eye-to-eye with a small, gray cat. It had bright green eyes and pale, orange stripes across its body. 

"I found a cat," Richard announced, pausing his actions in order to bend over and pick it up. 

Gavin raised an eyebrow, pivoting his body in order to look back toward the kitchen. "Which one?" he asked, arm leaning over the back of the couch.

"A gray one."

"They're both gray, be more specific."

"Orange stripes and green eyes."

The man chuckled to himself softly. "That's Prince. And, yeah, weird name for a girl. Didn't know she was a girl before I named her."

"I like Prince," Richard commented, petting the cat as softly as he could manage. He seemed to be doing well; the animal began to purr, rubbing her face up against his Cyberlife uniform like her life depended on it. 

"Don't get too distracted before I have my breakfast." 

"Right." Carefully, he put the cat back on the floor, gently pushing her towards her food bowl. Prince seemed to take a hint; she wandered over in the very direction, looking all too eager to get a hold of her own food. Richard turned back, prepared to resume what he had been doing before, when the cat began to meow. Again, he stopped what he was doing, but joined the cat in her little corner to see what was going on. "Hey, her food is empty. Should I refill it?"

Gavin offered no answer. The android frowned, but when the cat continued whining about her lack of food, he decided for himself that he should fix the issue. He reached for the bag and began to undo the twist tie around it. Apparently, this got Gavin's attention, because he suddenly mumbled, "Don't fill it too full. The two of 'em don't eat too much," in a rough, even more slurred tone than he had had when he woke up. Regardless of this, Richard tacked it up to withdrawal symptoms and chose to ignore it. He did as instructed, only half-filling the bowl with food. Prince seemed eternally grateful, immediately shoving her face into the contents and inhaling them as fast as she was capable of doing. With a smile, Richard returned to the counter, swiftly mixing the ingredients whilst ignoring what was around him. He leaned over and turned the stove on, then reached to grab the pan that was over the stove. It was placed directly over the flame and, carefully, he began to fill it a little with the batter he had crafted. 

From the other room, Gavin's coughing and wheezing could be heard over the sound of the television. Richard frowned, concerned once again, and peeked in a little. The detective was shaking slightly in his seat, but aside from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Satisfied and convinced nothing was actually wrong, the android returned to his task. He grabbed the pan and flipped the pancake over, with only part of it getting stuck on the edge of the pan. A smile crossed his lips; he had never created food before. This was an amazing feat to him.

"Detective, how many pancakes would you like?"

"However many you can fit onna plate..."

The end of his sentence had faded out, but Richard simply assumed it was an insult, as usual. He shrugged it off as he dumped the first pancake onto a nearby plate, noting that it had not burned or otherwise been insufficiently prepared. With a newfound confidence, Richard began to prepare another pancake. As he grabbed the handle to flip it, he heard a string of curses come from Gavin. Nervous, Richard turned the stove off, put the pan back on it, and wandered into the living room to see what was going on. "Detective, is everything alright?"

On the couch, Gavin was trembling more. He was sweating profusely, but also seemed to be gripping his shirt sleeves as though he were freezing. Red smoke and powder were all around him. He looked up at Richard, revealing that his pupils were heavily dilated. Immediately, Richard dropped down in front of him, grabbing his shoulders tightly. "Gavin?" he asked, eyes wide with concern. The man offered no response, but Richard wasn't having it this time. "Gavin, please, answer me!"

"'M fine, Dick," he mumbled, doing his best to produce a glare in his current state. "Leave me be. Get me my food, a-and leave me be."

"No, Gavin, something is wrong with you. You need hel-"

"I don't need shit!"

Richard panicked, scanning over him quickly. He took note of the sweat and dilated pupils, as well as the cold chills, and panicked internally as his processors attempted to piece together the puzzle.

 **_[Registered Symptoms]_ ** _Increased sweat production. Rapid heart rate. Pupil dilation. Tremors._

**_[Running Diagnosis]_ **

Gavin suddenly collapsed onto the floor, his body convulsing in a similar manner to that of a seizure. He seemed to have fallen unconscious, but regardless of this, Richard attempted to get his attention. "Gavin!" he yelled, trying to grasp at his arms. "Gavin, wake up!" Somewhere deep down, the android knew that wasn't going to work; that didn't stop him from trying, though. He continued to call his partner's name, but slowly became silent when his systems came up with the answer he had desperately hoped to avoid.

_**[Symptoms registered.]** _

_**[Symptoms Conclusion]** Drug-induced overdose. _

Richard had never sprinted so fast in his life.  _  
_

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

_"It's a good thing you got him here when you did. He may not be alive if you hadn't been there."_

Those words echoed in Richard's mind, spinning around and drowning out his other thoughts like a broken record. He knew it was true. He  _definitely_ knew that Gavin could have- no, actually,  _would have_ \- died if he hadn't acted as quickly as he had. Everything happened so fast, yet he remembered every detail; he had sprinted out of the apartment, Gavin in his arms, and jumped off the balcony without a second thought, seeing as he most likely would not have been injured by it. Thankfully, the detective's keys were still in his pocket from the night before. All he had to do was drive. 

Now, the android sat beside his bed. His usual professional, intimidating posture had been replaced by a slumped over, disheveled version of himself. Richard stared at Gavin, a mixture of disappointment and worry washed over his facial features. The man looked pale, almost to the point he could be mistaken for dead right on the spot. He had, thankfully, long since stopped convulsing; parts of his body still twitched now and then, however, and every time they did, Richard was prepared to call the doctor in without a hint of hesitation.

"Gavin..." he whispered softly, as if the detective would hear him. He recalled how the doctors had informed him that he had fallen into a coma, but not one serious enough to kill him; he'd definitely be awake at some point that same day. Carefully, Richard reached out to him. His fingers ran through his hair a few times before his hand traveled down to caress his cheek lovingly. It hurt him, knowing the man he had, albeit stupidly, fallen for was  _willingly_ killing himself. As he was about to pull his hand away, Gavin let a small, nearly inaudible whine escape his throat, pressing his cheek weakly back toward the android's hand. Taken aback, Richard flipped his hand over, allowing his palm to cup his face gently. To his surprise, the heart rate on the monitor slowed down slightly from the fast rate it had still been at. The fact that his touch was relaxing the man on the bed made him smile a little (not to mention it calmed his synthetic nerves).

A soft knock on the wall jolted Richard from his thoughts. His head jerked, and he found himself staring at the same doctor who had brought him to the room beforehand. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that we did some tests." She stepped forward, looking over the monitors before looking back at the android. "Mister Reed will wake up today, but will most likely still be experiencing some after effects of the Red Ice. He will, most certainly, still be under the influence. I can assure you that he will be safe, though."

Richard could only nod as she walked away. Immediately, he went back to gazing down at Gavin, rubbing his thumb against his cheek. The man seemed to relax more, leaning into his touch again. Much to Richard's delight, his eyes fluttered open, making contact with the android before him. 

"Hello, Detective Reed," Richard greeted in a soft tone, smiling down at the detective. "Are you feeling alright?"

Gavin nodded slowly. "Rich, what happened?" His voice was hoarse, strained from the amount of smoke he had inhaled in such a short amount of time. Richard was stunned to be called a decent nickname for once, but he forced himself past this in order to reply properly.

"You overdosed, Detective."

"I  _what?_ "

"You had too much red ice. I took you to the hospital. You are still somewhat under the influence, so please, stay in the bed and be careful."

To his surprise, Gavin nodded slowly. "Okay," he mumbled, closing his eyes and sighing. "I feel hot, Rich."

"Would you like me to take the blanket off?"

"Please..."

Richard did so, removing his hand from his face just long enough to pull the blanket half way down his body. "I am not taking it all the way off. You may still experience cold chills."

"Thank you, Rich..." Gavin felt around his body, grumbling a little to himself. "I can't find my phone."

The android pulled it from his pocket. "It was in your car. I grabbed the charger as well." He handed the phone over, smiling when he turned it on. 

"Needs the charger," he mumbled, pouting slightly. "Where's it at?"

"The table behind you."

Immediately, he tried to roll over and get it, wincing in pain as he did. Richard grabbed his arm and gently brought it back down to his side, then helped him onto his back. "No, no, I'll get it, Detective," he whispered. The android reached over the man, who insisted on sitting up despite the fact he shouldn't have been trying to. He grasped the charger and slowly began to move back, careful not to accidentally bump into Gavin. "There you go, I'll-"

He was interrupted by Gavin reaching up and grabbing a hold of his cheeks. His hands felt cold against Richard's synthetic skin, and he felt his cheeks begin to burn. Gavin let out a small giggle. "You blush blue," he commented, staring deep into his eyes. "That's really cute. You're really cute, you know that, Rich?"

"I'm...cute?" he echoed, raising his eyebrows in shock.

"Yeah. So cute."

Gavin leaned closer slowly. Soon, he was barely a few inches away from Richard's face. The android felt his thirium pump begin to speed up.

"So cute, I could just..."

And then, out of nowhere, Gavin's lips were on Richard's. 

At first, he had no clue how to react. So he froze. Richard kept his eyes open, uncertain of what was to be done about this. He took note of Gavin's closed eyes and, soon enough, decided he could do the same. This was wrong. Wrong because Gavin had no clue what he was doing. Wrong because he  _knew_ he wouldn't remember this (and if he did, he sure as hell wasn't going to admit it). And yet, he didn't think he could bring himself to push the detective away. What if he hurt him by mistake?

The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity, but Richard wasn't complaining. Gavin slowly snaked a hand up further, gently gripped the android's surprisingly soft hair, and held him in place as he went the extra mile. His tongue slid from between his lips and began to caress Richard's, but right as he was about to allow him to slip it inside, the detective pulled away, a small, seemingly genuine smile gracing his lips.

"I could just kiss you," he finished, stroking his partner's hair slowly. 

Richard's eyes opened slowly, and he made eye contact with Gavin. He had no words, he was so bewildered by the unusual advance. Gently, he pushed him back against his pillow, whispering that he needed to lay down and take it easy. Thankfully, he agreed, allowing him to tuck him in and plug his phone in. He felt embarrassed, out of place, like he did something he shouldn't have. He wanted to leave. He didn't think he should be there. So, he got up and began to walk off. 

He was stopped by a hand weakly grasping his wrist. Richard whirled around, immediately making eye contact with Gavin. His eyes were wide and fear-filled. "Please, please don't leave me, Rich. Don't leave me alone. Please." Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. "I don't want to be alone, Rich."

Now he felt guilty.  _What was I thinking?_ he wondered to himself.  _I'm an idiot. I cannot leave him alone; he's clearly scared. Plus, he needs a familiar face when he comes back to his senses._ He slowly sat down, let Gavin grasp his hand weakly, and stared at him as he began to fall asleep.

"Okay, Gavin," he softly said, rubbing his thumb across the back of his hand while he closed his eyes. "I'll stay with you."

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot minute since I updated this last. Sorry guys! School AND work have teamed up to drain me. This will probably not be the last time this goes for a while without an update, which sucks because, spoiler, we're close to the good shit. Danny and I tried to make this chapter a little longer as compensation, though, so enjoy 🖤
> 
> (AN: If you were here like an hour ago and got another notification of me updating this, I apologize! I deleted it without thinking, way to go me. So, have a repost.)

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

It had been a few days since Gavin's overdose. Richard had taken the liberty to call him in sick, making up some quick excuse related to the flu. This would guarantee him a few paid days of leave, however, with the advances of modern science, he also knew that he couldn't risk keeping the man home for longer than five days. Somehow, with a little arguing, he had convinced Gavin to remain in his bed, going as far as to promise to cater to his needs whenever needed.

Currently, Richard was in the kitchen, attempting to make more pancakes as a way to make up for never providing Gavin the breakfast he had promised him that day. The last two days had consisted of quick-meals, something he could put in the microwave for a minute or so. As an added bonus, Richard usually made some toast and coffee to go along with it. Since Gavin had slept in that morning, he thought it would be a nice good morning surprise.

 _If only cooking would help ease my mind,_ he thought, sliding another pancake onto the plate on the counter.  _Gavin doesn't know we kissed. It was only a kiss, but..._ His hand shook as he poured another glob of batter into the pan.  _It still feels wrong. I hate it._ The android shook his head and flipped the pancake onto its other side. While that one cooked, he pulled the butter dish and maple syrup over to him.  _I can't not tell him. But how will he react? What will he say?_ As he put the last pancake onto the plate, he turned the stove off and began to butter each object. _Perhaps I should wait until after I provide him his food._

Once finished with preparation, Richard took hold of everything necessary; the plate, where the four pancakes rested, the coffee-filled mug, the syrup bottle, and the silverware. He made his way into the detective's bedroom, a small smile gracing his lips as he noticed that Gavin was still fast asleep in his bed. Quietly, he set the objects down on the night stand, and shuffled over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. "Gavin," he murmured, leaning close to him while he reached a hand to his hair. Gavin grunted, but did not wake up. With this, Richard began to stroke his hair. "Gavin, wake up."

Soon came the detective's reply, a simple "Ugh," as he leisurely opened his eyes. "Don't call me by my first name."

"We have been over this, Detective Reed. You do not wake up unless I refer to you as 'Gavin'."

"Hmph." He sat up and stretched, allowing a yawn to pass his lips. The moment the scent of pancakes smacked his nose, his head whipped around and his face lit up. "You made me pancakes?"

Richard nodded. "Yes. I felt bad about not being able to provide you any a few days ago."

"Seriously? Dick, you saved my life. The fucking pancakes shouldn't have been your concern." He leaned over and grabbed the plate, beginning to take bites from the pancakes without bothering to put any syrup on them. Richard took note of this so he would remember not to bring it with him next time he decided to prepare this dish. As Gavin continued to eat, Richard moved off of the bed, instead deciding to simply stand to the side. His hands folded behind his back, and for a while, he was okay; soon, his mind began to wander again.

 _I have to tell him,_ he kept repeating internally. _I have to tell him. I have to tell him. I have to tell him._

Then, he began contradicting himself.

_Don't tell him. He will be angry._

_I have to tell him. It's wrong, knowing he has no clue what happened._

_No, I can't tell him._

A pause, and then, he finally made up  his mind.

_No. I have to._

"Detective?" he began softly, beginning to panic internally.

Gavin glanced at him as he shoved another forkful of pancake into his mouth. "Yeah?" he asked, muffled by the food half-way down his throat.

"I need to tell you something important."

"Spit it out, then."

Richard took a deep breath. "When I took you to the hospital, you woke up still under the influence."

"Yeah, I know. You told me already."

"No, there was more to it. You..." The android looked away, closing his eyes from fear. "You kissed me. You had no clue you were doing it, and I couldn't push you away. I was afraid you might fall and hurt yourself."

The silverware clattered against the plate. Gavin swallowed the remainder of food in his mouth, making immediate eye contact with Richard. For a spell, the two simply stared at one another. Soon, the detective's eyes narrowed.

"That's bullshit. If we kissed, you did it."

Richard flinched at the accusation. "Detective, no, that isn't true. I would never do anything you did not approve of."

"Bullshit," he repeated, growling slightly. "Fucking android. I should turn you into scrap metal. But I won't, for the sake of the case. And my paycheck." Gavin stood, passing the plate and utensils to Richard. "Take care of this. I'm going to go shower. You better be ready for work by the time I'm done." He took the coffee mug, greedily slurping it down as he stormed off toward his bathroom, which left Richard alone with the small set of dishes and a mind of unease.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

When they arrived at the precinct, hardly anyone else was present. Gavin stepped inside, immediately taking to the break room to partake in the fresh-brewed coffee he knew would be there. This left Richard to do as he was normally required; handle Gavin's work. So, he did. He began to sort the paper work and scan the terminal in search of any new leads in their case, but kept an ear out for any strange noises that may come from the break room. Though he hoped for the best to occur, something told him that simply wouldn't be the case. Regardless, he remained occupied with his work- or, rather, his  _partner's_ work.

Distant coughing could be heard, and Richard immediately looked toward the break room. He knew that was Gavin's cough, but he also knew the difference between a, for lack of a better term, "casual" cough, and a serious one, which might have indicated he had recently sucked in a puff of red ice. At the thought, Richard frowned, feeling his eyes threaten to spill tears of disappointment.

_Calm down. If it continues in a few minutes, check on him._

And, of course, it did continue. Richard dropped the files on the desk and immediately rushed into the break room. Gavin was sitting at the table; to his left was a cup of coffee, and to his right, much to the dismay of his partner, was a small pile of powdered red ice.

"Detective!" Richard released in a harsh, hushed whisper. "What the hell are you doing? This isn't acceptable!"

"Shut up, and nobody will know about it," he whispered back, a smug expression overtaking his previously mellow one ."It's just a little hit, no big deal. Right, Rich?"

"No, you are inaccurate in your statement. This could get you into trouble!"

"So? You'll just bail me out of it, right?"

As Richard was about to reply, he instead focused on the footsteps making their way down the hall. They were heavy and slow, clearly those of a tired man; and the android knew  _exactly_ which tired man it was.

Richard began panicking, LED flaring red in an instant. "Gavin, you have to get rid of this! Captain Fowler is on his way down here. If he sees the drugs, you'll get fired!"

"Hey, no job means more time to have fun."

A fair point, but Richard wasn't about to allow his partner to throw his whole life, along with everything he worked so hard for, down the drain just for a small hit here and there. Quickly, he dashed to the other side of the room, where the trash can was, and kicked said object over toward the table Gavin was sitting at. The man looked confused by both the sound and the presence of the trash can; because of this, he had no time to register that Richard had swept the remnants of the drug into it. The android pushed it back to its original place and grabbed a few napkins, then proceeded to clean Gavin up the best he could, thankful for the fact he was too doped up to fight him on the matter. Just when he thought it was safe, he realized that there were red stains on his pristine, white Cyberlife uniform.

 _Damn it!_ Frantically, he began trying to wipe it off, but it was no use; Fowler was already in the line of sight, watching him as his desperate attempt at saving his partner fell through.

"RK900, my office. Now."

Richard felt his thirium pump sink. Regardless, he, albeit a little intimidated as he did so, followed his superior into his office, closed the door softly behind himself, and stood with his hands behind his back, watching as Fowler situated himself for the day.

"Have a seat," he instructed calmly, gesturing to a chair.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I prefer to stand, if this is fine with you," Richard replied, hoping his calm exterior masked his panicked interior.

"And I would prefer you sit. So please,  _sit._ "

He shivered as he did what he had been instructed to do. When he tried to look up, Richard found himself unable to make eye contact with his superior for long. His eyes were still threatening to send tears flooding down his cheeks and, once he realized this, he brought his sleeve up to cover his face.

"RK900, what is that on your uniform?"

 _As if he doesn't already know._ "That... would be red ice, sir." There was no point in lying; with the amount of drug busts the station had been responsible for as of late, Fowler would have had to have been living under a rock to be unaware of the substance gracing his uniform. Nevertheless, he seemed stunned by how open and honest the android had been with his question.

"Yes, it is. How did you get it on there?"

This made Richard contemplate lying for a little bit. Sure, there was no mistake that the drug was on his person; however, perhaps there was a chance the man didn't know the source of it.  _Maybe I can convince him it was from a drug bust. That not all of it managed to wash off yet._

No. He knew better. He knew, unfortunately, that lying would get him nowhere.

"It belonged to Detective Reed, sir. But, please, don't fire him!"

"RK900, I-"

"No!" His arm flew down, palm slamming against the desk before him as he forced himself to stare the captain down through teary eyes. "Please, I am working to get him help! He's a great man, albeit quite brash and rude, but he still doesn't deserve to lose his job over this while I am in the process of assisting him!"

Fowler reached over and nudged the android's hand off the desk. "Calm down. I didn't say I was going to fire him."

Slowly, Richard sat back down. "So, what are you going to do, then?" The question was almost a whisper. "Surely you did not just call me in here to tell me what I already know."

"No, of course not. I will be suspending him from this case, and work all together, until he gets the help he needs." He pressed his fingers together in thought. "I  _was_ going to tell you to find him help, but you said you are already doing so. Look, I've known about Reed and his drug habits for a long time, but he assured, and proved to me, that he had himself under control. Or, at least, that he was starting to."

Richard took a moment to process all of this. "He cannot be suspended. I need his help on this case."

"Negative. Reed will still be in charge of getting you to work and back a few days a week, but otherwise, I don't want to see his ass back here until he's clean, you understand me?" Fowler stood up, eyes narrowing while he did so. "You're an  _android,_ RK900. You are more than capable of getting this case finished on your own, got it? Don't show Reed any more of these files. If you must take them home, keep them out of his reach."

"Understood, sir," Richard reluctantly mumbled.

"Good. Look, just keep an eye on Reed and see that he gets home safely. And remember what I said about keeping him away from the files. Make sure when he's in the right mental state, he hands them over to you."

"Alright." The android stood and took his leave quickly, LED becoming a steady yellow color as he ventured back to the break room. He was grateful for the fact that his partner was still there, now seated on the table and swinging his legs like a child. "Gavin?" he called, hoping to get his attention.

Gavin turned to him and grinned slyly. "What's good, Rich?"

"Gavin, please get off of the counter. I do not wish for you to fall and injure yourself."

"My ass is planted firmly on this bitch, dude. I'll be okay."

Richard growled a little, feeling his irritation spike. "Quit acting like an immature teenager, Gavin. Get off of the counter, now!"

"Tch." Despite the initial refusal, Gavin did climb off of the counter. He took a few steps, but stumbled; almost instantly, Richard was there, holding him in his arms as the man began to laugh to himself. "Oh, shit, sorry 'bout that Rich."

"It is quite alright." He returned his partner to the upright position he was meant to be in. "Please, try to be more careful. We need to head to your desk. Do you think you can manage to walk on your own, or should I help you over there?"

Gavin growled. "I don't need any fuckin' help." With this, he broke away from the hold. Almost immediately, he began to stumble, but Richard did nothing to assist him, confident in the man's ability to perform basic motor skills. Though it took some time and a few terminals were nearly knocked from their stands, Gavin did manage to get to his desk in one piece, something the android was rather thankful for. He watched as Gavin practically fell into his chair with enough momentum for it to spin a few times. "See, look. I did it."

"So you did. Good job, Gavin." Richard gathered the items which had carelessly been left behind and began to follow his partner. On the way, he passed by a few officers and, without meaning to, began listening in on their conversation.

"It's wild, isn't it? The amount of android deaths is ridiculous, almost double what it was just last month."

"Yeah. Seems like it got worse as we began investigating these red ice murders, too. Wonder what's up with that?"

"Dunno. I had a theory at one point that maybe it was the victims being coerced into killing their androids before being killed themselves, but that just doesn't fit the MO. Plus, no matter how high they were, I'm not sure they could muster the strength to bash an android's head in like this."

"Most likely, they couldn't. It's not that they wouldn't have the strength; they wouldn't have the mental capacity to figure out how while doped up like that."

At this point, Richard had long since wandered away, processing the information he had picked up on whilst he made his way toward his partner. Gavin's feet were propped up on his desk now, dangerously close to his terminal. The files regarding the active case they were studying were also there, but he didn't seem interested in them at this time.

"Hey, Gavin?" Richard sat on the desk, beside the pile of folders. "Could I take these files tonight? I think I have a lead." Clearly a lie to anyone in the right state of mind, since they had no leads and were nowhere near finding one, but to Gavin, that sounded like a solid point.

The man shrugged, a lopsided grin overtaking his lips. "Yeah, sure, whatever man."

"Great, thanks."

With that, Richard picked the files up and moved them to the ground, away from Gavin's reach. As he was about to go through one of them, a soft gasp caught his attention. His LED cycled through each color for a moment, and remained a solid yellow when he turned around. His eyes met with Tina's, which were filled with shock and alarm.

"Richard, what happened to him?" She whispered, clearly hoping Gavin wouldn't hear her. "Has he been using again?"

The android nodded. "Yes. And, don't worry, he will not remember this conversation. He never does." He glanced at Gavin, almost amused by the glare he had gained in those short few seconds. "Feel free to speak as loudly as you wish on the matter. Fowler is already aware, and has suspended him from our case."

"That sucks...but I mean, it could be worse. He could've been fired." She walked closer, examining the scene before her. "You're working on it alone now, yeah?"

"Yes. I have been instructed to keep him away from all files from now on."

"Oh. Well...okay. Good luck I guess." She patted him on the shoulder, then proceeded to wander away before he could fit another word in, leaving him alone again with the mess of a man he called his partner. He turned and looked at him, watching as he stared off into space.

 _He'll be okay,_ Richard thought, a small smile crossing his lips.  _I'll keep him safe._

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

Immediately after work, Richard drove his partner home. He simply didn't trust him to be sober enough to do so himself, and certainly didn't believe him when he kept repeating, "I'm fine, tin can, fuck off." Instead of taking the files home, however, he left them in the Detective's car, keeping them hidden under the passenger seat and a spare jacket Gavin kept in there. The android was far more concerned with Gavin's safety than he was with the investigation at the moment.

"I swear to god. I'm  _fine,_ do you understand me?" Gavin shouted from his kitchen. The clatter of pots, pans, and silverware echoed off the walls. "It's worn off now. I don't need any help from you."

Richard strolled into the area regardless. "I understand it has worn off, Detective, but I don't trust you alone." He reached around the smaller man, pulling the utensils and the pot he had set aside away from him. "Allow me to cook for you, at least."

"Seriously? Jesus, I didn't ask you to do that, but okay. Go nuts, I guess." He coughed softly as he fished around in his pockets. "Fuck. I need my fix."

"Gavin, no!" The android abandoned his task in favor of rushing to his partner, desperately trying to force his hands from his pockets. "You said it wore off just a few minutes ago, please don't take any more yet!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Gavin slammed his elbow into the android, causing him to stumble and fall back.

 _Damn,_ Richard thought as he crashed onto the ground.  _I should've known he would get physical. I should have planned for this more precisely!_ In the split second between being on the floor and being back on his feet, Richard was devastated to find that his partner had made it back to the living room, with the pipe he frequently used now covered in a fresh glaze of red ice remnants. Judging by how thin said layer of glaze was, Richard knew it wasn't much; just barely enough for him to float on the high he had barely gotten off of for a little longer. "Oh, no..." He instantly felt the wave of anxiety hit him.  _I'm useless at keeping him clean._ His LED flashed red and, with no warning, Richard then felt the anger creep up on him. With quick, precise movements, he slammed Gavin's wrists against the wall, towering over the man while he slumped down the wall, a confused and dazed expression overtaking his features.

"What the  _fuck,_ Richard!?" Gavin struggled as best as he could, but he had no hope of escaping, especially in his current state. His eyes met the android's, and his pupils shrank when he noticed the amount of rage built up in them.

"Do you even know what you're doing to yourself? To Tina and the others who are worried for you?" Tears spilled from Richard's eyes as he narrowed them. "To  _me!?_ I  _hate_ seeing you this way! I can't stand seeing you get high to the point you risk your safety more than you usually would. Damn it, Gavin, I love you too much to watch you kill yourself!"

Both of them froze. Gavin's eyebrows raised up in shock, his eyes narrowing in confusion whilst Richard's widened from fear. The android  _knew_ his partner understood him, and would remember what he said; there was no way he had taken enough red ice into his system to obscure his memory.  _Oh no,_ he thought, letting go of the Detective's wrists. _Oh no, no no no...I really screwed up this time. As soon as he can, he's going to lose it._

"Did you uh...did you really just say that? Did you  _mean_ that, Rich?"

He hesitated. The realization that Gavin would remember this in the long run hit him again. For a moment, the android contemplated lying, or at least bullshitting his way out of the situation.  _Fuck, I can't do that. He'll know. I don't have a choice._ "I did, Gavin." Against his will, Richard began to tremble.  

_He is going to be mad. He is going to be mad, and this time, he is actually going to stay mad. Not the mad that like he usually is. No. This is the point in my life, I know I should have not said anything._

As if on cue, Gavin’s seemed to come down off of his high just enough to revert back to his typical asshole nature. “What the  _fuck_ do you mean, you love me!? You are a fucking _Tin Can._ You things don't fucking feel! Jesus fuck, are you really getting all fucking teary on me?! Grow the fuck up, you damn idiotic hunk of plastic!” Gavin snapped, his eyes angry, confused, but angry nonetheless as he looked at Richard.

Richard’s body refused to cooperate.  _Get it together,_ he told himself,  _Can’t you see that you have made him angry as it is?_ But even so, the tears wouldn’t stop. The shaking wouldn’t stop, and the hurt, the odd, vague discomfort in his chest, wouldn’t stop.

“Are you even fucking listening to me, you idiot?” Gavin demanded, and Richard quickly focused on the detective. “This is the problem with you things. You all think that you have feelings. You think that you have hearts, or something like it. But you don’t. You are confusing your purpose with love and-”

“Don't you dare start to tell me how I feel.” Richard suddenly seethed, feeling angry, hurt, and frustrated. “You don't  _fucking_ know, Gavin. You do not know anything about how I feel.” Richard’s arms crossed over his chest as he regarded his partner, his stance seeming cooler despite the turmoil made obvious by the red cycle of the LED.

“YOU DON’T FEEL!” Gavin suddenly yelled, moving closer to Richard. “You have no heart to feel thin-”

“You make it obvious to me that even beings with beating hearts can’t feel much. You don’t care about anything aside from getting your fix! You act like you are above everything, above me. Well, news flash, detective. YOU are just like me. You have no heart.” Richard tensed up when Gavin suddenly raised his hand.  _I went too far…_

The detective glared directly into his eyes.  _He is going to hit me._

“Oh, for fucking fuck’s sake. Just… I can’t fucking deal with you right now, not witho- Get the hell out of my damn way.” Gavin shoved passed the android.

Richard knew what the detective was going after, but both the relief from not being used as a punching bag and the anger at Gavin in general kept the android rooted in his spot. An almost spiteful look crossed his face.  _Let him do it, see if I give a damn. After all, according to that brainless ape, I have no fucking heart. Why the hell should I care? It’s not my place. I shouldn’t give a damn._

And despite knowing this, despite knowing that he should not give a single fuck about what Gavin does, when Richard saw the Detective walking into the room once more, very obviously impaired, a burning course of high leveled anger ripped through the silence of the room.

“Gavin Reed, god damn it!” Richard grabbed him by the shoulders in a desperate attempt to hold him steady. “I can't believe you. I can't believe you did this  _again!”_ He was shouting at this point, so loudly that his voice echoed off the walls and that he was visibly scaring his partner, but that didn’t stop him. “You heartless, out of control asshole! I can’t believe you. I can’t fucking believe how reckless you are!” At this point, he drifted from the real issue at hand and, rather, was favoring rambling and ranting about all of the other problems. “How dare you use your colleagues, your friends, and myself as door mats to wipe your feet on whilst you walk toward your death! I swear to god,  _you_ are the reason I fucking deviated in the first place! The fact that you want to blame that upon me is fucking  _ridiculous,_ I- I just can’t!”

Gavin opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Richard’s fist slamming into the wall beside his head. The crack of the drywall and the wood slabs layered above it echoed through the apartment as the wall shook. Gavin gulped, prepared to run to the best of his abilities, but when he really looked at Richard, he noticed that the android was choking back sobs and breathing rather heavily. Somewhere deep down, he knew this wasn’t the best time to say what he was, for some reason, bent on putting on the table; his rational mind had long since jumped out the window, though, so this didn’t stop him.

“I love you too, asshat.”

Silence fell upon the room. Richard was stunned, first by the fact that Gavin had called him anything but the affectionate “Rich” he had become accustomed to, but also by the confession he had just received. His LED never left the bright, crimson color that it had been on through the whole ordeal, however.

“Don’t lie to me, Reed.” His voice had dropped a little, signifying that, while he had calmed down a little, he was still relatively pissed at the man before him.

“I’m not lying, Rich, I swear-”

“Shut up.” Richard pulled his hand from the wall. Thirium dripped from open gashes and landed on the floor in thick globs. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t give a shit about me, and I would appreciate if you would at least quit acting like you di-”

Just like in the hospital, Gavin cut him off by slamming his lips to the android’s. Richard attempted to back away, shove the impaired man,  _anything_ that would get him off, but nothing worked. The detective grasped his arm with one hand and placed the other over the still-bleeding one which had gone through his wall just a moment ago. When he pulled away, Richard tried to speak again. “Gavin, this isn’t-” The man kissed him again, this time pressing his body against the android’s as hard as possible. Sensors went off that Richard was unaware he even had, and while Gavin pressed his face against his neck, a small groan escaped his lips. Thirium immediately rushed to his cheeks, tinting them a dark blue. “Stop it, Gavin! This isn’t you!”

“That was cute, Rich,” Gavin mumbled, reaching up to poke the android’s nose gently. “Damn it, you’re cute.” He sighed against his partner’s neck, sending a shiver up his spine. Richard didn’t understand what was going on, not in the slightest, but for some reason, he couldn’t find it in him to be angry anymore. Instead, he rolled his eyes and grabbed the detective by his waist.

“Amusing, Gavin. Really. Do us both a favor and go to bed before my fist misses your wall in favor of your head.” The threat was fake; Richard would  _never_ harm the poor detective, not on purpose. Regardless, it was enough for Gavin to push himself away and make a run for his room. Richard followed after a while, LED finally returning to a soft blue hue.

He felt content with everything right now, in this moment.

Everything was okay. The Thirium had stopped leaking from his hand. Gavin wasn’t doing anything particularly stupid.

 _Things will be okay_ , Richard thought.  _Everything will be fine._  Everything  _had_  to be fine, for his sake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a fairly fast update? Bet it won't happen again lmao. 
> 
> (Honestly, I feel like I keep ending and starting these chapters too similarly, but I don't know how to fix it. I'm having a good time with this story, seeing as it's my first multi-chapter one in years, but I'm hella insecure about my writing style with it.)

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

Snow fell violently upon Detroit. The temperature had dropped significantly, and the wind had picked up more than usual, capturing the city and surrounding areas in a violent snow storm. Warnings had gone out, instructing people to stay inside. It was a perfect time for him to make a move.

Papers were on the floor, scattered about in destroyed piles. The room was lit by a single lamp in the corner, that of which only cast a soft, nearly useless glow. Thankfully, the house was rather small, almost apartment sized, and run-down; the light reached just far enough. Alongside the papers, fading thirium and old, oxidizing blood stained the floor that nobody had bothered to clean in a long while. Some of it was covered by the couch in the middle of the room, but it was definitely still visible. Many piles of bags, each filled with various forms of the dreaded Red Ice, were littered around the living room and the surrounding areas of the house. In the kitchen, there were knives on the counter, some of them clean, others stained or dripping in fresh blood, all the same type; a standard chopping blade.

The only neat, semi-tidy area in the whole house was the dining room table. A stack of papers were neatly placed on it. Beside them sat a knife, freshly sharpened and cleaned; on top of them, a single photo of Gavin, taken from a distance as he was leaving a cafe, rested in the corner. A single pouch of Red Ice sat loosely tied beside the knife. Footsteps echoed off the walls of the silent abode whilst he made his way to the table. He grabbed the papers, examining them through lidded, dark blue eyes. The papers detailed who Gavin was, where he lived, what he did for a living, and many other personal details that were uneasy to obtain. Strands of brown hair fell as he read, some darker than others due to the hair dye. Once finished, he grinned slightly.

“Excellent.” His voice was deep, yet strained due to constant coughing and hacking. “An unusual one, for sure. He’s not dating one of those hunks of invading plastic, and yet...I see no point in letting him live.” He rolled the papers and the photo up, stashing them away in a bag whilst he grabbed the bag of red ice. “All I have to do is tape it to the door with my instructions and wait.”

With that, the man headed out, disappearing into the snowstorm outside. The streets were coated in snow, but lacked people; there were a few pedestrians here and there, most likely out to gather a few things in preparation of the storm potentially worsening. It only took about ten minutes for him to make the trip this time; the last few times he had gone out here, he had arrived at his destination in a half hour. Part of him wondered what was so different this time, but he decided it wasn’t important enough to worry about right then. Quietly, he pulled a roll of tape out and ripped off a piece, sticking the bag and the note to the door before quickly vanishing back into the snowstorm while a grin filled with nothing but evil intentions formed on his lips.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

Richard didn’t get much sleep that night. This became apparent while he attempted to work. His mind was all over the place, and he was exhausted, especially after the morning he had had with Gavin.

_“Gavin, I don’t think you should keep that, let alone listen to what the note has to say.”_

_“Fuck off, plastic. I’ll do as I please. I don’t need your input.”_

That exchange of words had come shortly after Richard had gone out to check the mail. He hadn’t noticed it when exiting the apartment, but rather when heading back inside. Taped to the door was another small, black bag, only this time, a note had come with it.

_“I’d like to spend some time with you. Don’t waste all of this on yourself. Meet me at 1576 Harbor Ln. Come alone, and I will give you extra. Bring someone, and I will turn you away at the door. Hope to see you there.” -C.E._

Immediately, Richard had recognized the initials that the note was signed with. He had no knowledge of what name they stood for, but he knew for a fact that was the man dealing Gavin his Red Ice; that, on its own, was enough to make his hair stand on end. Of course, when he brought this up to the detective and attempted to coax some answers from him, it didn’t go in his favor.

_“Mind your own fuckin’ business! I’m still pissed off at you for breaking a hole the size of my damn head into my fuckin’ wall. Just get your shit, get out of my car, and get to work!”_

Richard did just that, LED spinning red. He had clutched the files close to him, hoping Gavin wouldn’t attempt to steal them away. As soon as he had dropped the android off, Gavin sped off, tires squealing as he rushed out of the parking lot. Richard could only hope he was on his way back to the apartment, not the address provided to him.

 _I can’t focus on him right now,_ he thought, rubbing his eyes before booting up his terminal. _I have to work. Gavin will be fine, I have to catch the murderer before he strikes again._

Just as he was about to start working, a small ding echoed in his head, an alert popping up in his vision. After the first bag had been found, Richard had gone and installed security cameras above Gavin’s apartment without telling him; the one on the outside was small and hidden away, out of view of anyone trying to break in or leave items behind. He’d set them up to alert him when anything or anyone crossed the path of the camera, regardless of who or what it was. Though delayed, they had done just that.

**_[Movement detected. View video? Y/N]_ **

Without hesitation, Richard chose “yes”.

**_[Playback loading.]_ **

**_[10%...40%...79%...90%...]_ **

**_[Playback starting.]_ **

The video overtook his optical sensors. Snow flurried across the camera’s view, taking away much of what it could see. Richard thought it had simply gathered video of the snow. _I should have known. I did have it set to capture all movement, including snowflakes I suppose._ As he went to shut it off, however, something caught his attention; there was a man in the video. Richard froze, watching what the camera had recorded. He was dressed in all black, from head to toe. The man taped the bag and note to the door, then turned toward the camera and began to exit the area. As soon as he was gone, the camera cut out.

_I need to get a look at his face._

He played it again, this time pausing it when the man had looked toward the camera. Richard sat there, taking in as much as he could, hoping to utilize his facial recognition software. Unfortunately, not enough of his face was visible; the wind had moved his hair, covering half of his face, and the snow didn’t help either. All the android could gather from what he was looking at was the brunette hair, the blue eye that was visible, the pale skin, and the paisley tattoo above the man’s right eyebrow. Each detail he was capable of making out immediately was added to his memory. _Good. That may be enough for me to recognize him if I ever see him on the streets._

And then, part way through the memory upload, Richard realized something.

“No, wait…”

**_[Replay video? Y/N]_ **

**_[Playback starting.]_ **

Richard stared at the man from the back. He took note of how he was dressed in all black. “That looks like…” The android closed the video and instead took to his memory banks. He went back to the day Gavin had been shot at, the day he had jumped in front of him to protect his rude self. He focused on the shooter specifically; a man clad in all black. The longer Richard looked, the more he saw that he hadn’t seen in the moment. The brown strands of hair, the pale skin, the glint of a blue eye.

The person at his door was the same person who had shot at Gavin.

The person at his door that morning had been the _fucking Red Ice Killer._

“Oh, fuck!” That was the first time the android had cussed out loud without being near Gavin, or in an obvious state of panic. A few of the officers shot him weird looks, but he paid them no mind. “Oh no, I have to do something…” Richard immediately went to his terminal, typing away at the speed of light.

 _I have to find out what I can about him, before it’s too late,_ he thought, artificial sweat dripping down his cheeks while his fingers flew across the keyboard. _Before Gavin gets hurt!_

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

Music blared through the house, shaking the floorboards the closer Gavin ventured to the speaker. His laughter was nearly drowned out and covered by it, yet he could still be heard by the other man in the house. "Oh, damn dude," he started, flopping onto the couch and whipping his lighter out, "thanks for inviting me over here. Been a long ass time since I had a good fuckin' smoke buddy, y'know?"

"Yes, I remember how you told me your friend quit, and this had depressed you at the time. What was her name, Tina?"

"Yeah." Gavin took a long drag from the pipe he'd heated, coughing almost as soon as the smoke hit his lungs. "Look, she isn't a bad person. I'm not mad at her. Just kinda hurt."

"Oh, I understand. It happens to the best of us."

The detective shrugged. "I guess." He looked at the man with glazed eyes. "Kinda hard to shake the dealer, though. Right, Chester?"

A grin formed on Chester's face, a menacing one at that. _You have no idea how right you are._ "That's true." He sat beside Gavin, allowing his hair to fall over his face and cover his eyes. He ran his thumb over the hilt of the knife, which he had shoved in his pocket an hour or so before Gavin had shown up. He needed to be patient, not just jump right in; it always took a while for his victims to get as high as he needed them to be. "So, how's life, Gavin?

"Eh." The man shrugged, taking more of the Red Ice into his system. "It's just life. Got fuckin' suspended from my job. Richard's taking over for me at the moment, though, so who cares, right?"

"Richard?" Chester tilted his head, his hair falling to slightly reveal his left eye. "Who is Richard?"

"My partner."

 _Partner? He's never mentioned a partner before._ "Since when?"

Gavin shrugged. "I dunno...three weeks?" He grinned a little, the Red Ice clearly finally taking effect on him. "I love him, though. Rich is a good dude. Just pisses me off more than I know how to deal with."

"What kind of partner is he to you?" Chester fiddled with the knife a little, tapping his fingers across the hilt. "Strictly a work partner?"

The detective remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost at the question. "Eh, I mean, I love him," he finally replied. "Like, _really_ love him. For fuck's sake, I've kissed that android more than I ever thought I would."

" _Android?"_ Chester felt his temper flare. _Android partner that he's romantic with? How despicable. Maybe I'm better at finding targets than I give myself credit for._ When Gavin looked away, he tore the knife from his pocket, ready to stab him, but stopped mid thrust. _Wait a second,_ he thought, quickly hiding it away again. _This man is a police detective, held to a higher standard; if he's in an illegal relationship, I can ruin his life further._ A wicked grin crossed his face. _That sounds like too much fun to pass up._ "Tell me, Gavin, what model is Richard?"

"RK900," he replied. A cough followed after he spoke. "I forget his serial..."

"That's fine." _I'm sure I can figure it out; it's not like there would be too many RK900 androids with that name in the same police department, anyway._ The man stood up, placed the knife in his pocket, and strolled to the speaker in the room. He shut it off before staring at the man on his couch. "You look spent. How about I drive you home, so you get there safe?"

Gavin took a moment to think about it, his mind clouded by the Red Ice. "Sure," he mumbled, standing up on wobbly legs. "Sure, that'd be great."

"Alright, then." Chester grabbed him by the arm, partly dragging him through the house and to the car. _I won't do anything to him tonight,_ he decided on the way through the door. _I'll be patient. Toying with him seems like much more of a fun time...and that, in itself, takes time._

As he drove off, he couldn’t help the maniacal chuckle that wormed its way through his lips.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

“Gavin!” The door to the apartment flew open, barely missing the wall. Richard dashed in, slamming the door behind him without meaning to. Panic had flooded his systems, his LED stuck on a bright, red color, his pupils blown wide with fear. “Gavin!?” he called again, running further into the place he had started to call home. “Gavin, where are you?” He checked each room individually, calling for his partner each time he entered a new one. By the time he’d reached the bedroom and had begun looking for evidence that he was there recently, he heard the door squeak open slowly. Richard spun around instantly, staring in silence as a shadow crept across the carpet. Truthfully, he was scared to call out and see if it belonged to his partner.

_Please let that be him. Please let that be him…_

Sure enough, Detective Reed rounded the corner slowly and, despite the fact he had  undoubtedly been impaired, Richard wasn’t angry. Instead, he ran over to his partner, snatching him up in a tight embrace fueled by anxiety and fear. “Oh my god, you’re safe,” he whispered, trembling slightly as he brought a hand up to Gavin’s hair. “You’re okay.”

“The hell,” he murmured, looking up at the android slowly. “Of course I’m fine.”

“I had no clue where you were. After this morning, after the video, I just-”

Gavin reached up and covered his mouth with his hand. “Shut up, I’m okay. I…” He slowly moved his hand away. “I shouldn’t have gone. Not without telling you, at least. I mean, I should’ve just stayed here but...well, you get what I’m saying, Dick.”

Even with the use of the rude nickname, Richard knew he meant it in a kind way for once. This shocked him; his LED went back to a yellow color as he attempted to process the information. “You...actually regret doing this?”

The detective nodded slowly. “Look...I’m done. I’m sick of trying to drown my problems in drugs. I can’t just...y’know, up and quit. But, yeah. I want some fuckin’ help with it, okay? I swear I’ll try my best but-”

“That’s all I needed to hear, Gavin.”

“Hey! I didn’t fuckin’ say you could call me by my first name!” He growled softly, shoving the android away from him. “So. What's this about a video?”

“Oh, yes. About that. I installed security cameras outside your door.”

“You _what?”_

Richard put his hands behind his back. “I apologize for not informing you. It seemed like the safest call, in case of intruders.”

“You're an _android,_ you can murder an intruder.”

“True, but why? I'm also part of the law. Murder is still illegal.”

Gavin paused for a moment. “Yeah. I suppose that's true.”

“Anyway, Gavin, be happy I did that. I might have captured footage of the murderer. Or at least… a potential suspect.”

“Really?” The detective grabbed a hold of him. “Show me! I have to know what you know.”

Richard hesitated. _I'm not supposed to show him anything. He's suspended from the case._ “Gavin, I don't think-”

“Look, I known I'm fuckin’ suspended, dumbass. He was at _my_ front door though! I feel like I have a right to know if there's a possible murderer on the other side of that thing.”

“I wasn't going to say that. My transfer software is corrupted, Gavin. I don't think it will go through to your phone properly.”

Both of them stood in silence for a while. Finally, Gavin huffed in annoyance. “Damn androids. Well, nothin’ can be done about it for a while, then. How about you make me a coffee? My head's fucking pounding.”

Richard smiled, internally relieved his partner bought the lie. “Sure. Go lay down.”

Another huff, but he did as told. While Gavin found himself lying on the couch, Richard was in the kitchen, focused on making the perfect pot of coffee for the wiped out detective in the other room. “You want it dark, right?” he asked as the pot filled with water.

“Yeeep.”

“Got it.”

While the coffee maker did its job, Richard found himself looking around the apartment. The more he looked at it, the more he found himself calling it home, despite the fact many parts of it were in rough condition. He loved it, though; the peeling walls, the cats, Gavin. He loved all of it.

The machine dinged, and the android reached for the pot, ready to assist his partner as he'd agreed to, but he stopped mid task when he glanced out the window. In the street sat a car, one he had never seen before, with its lights on. Richard stared at it for a moment, and as he did so, he felt eyes on him, boring into his own as he seemed to gaze into a void. The car sped off suddenly, and the LED on his temple flared red. Anxiety and anger coursed through him, but he persisted with his previous task nonetheless. As he began to pour the coffee, his mind remained stuck on the events that had just played out, repeating the scenario on a loop. Finally, after several moments of internal panic, Richard came to a solid, albeit rather obvious, conclusion.

_I have to keep a closer eye on Gavin… and who he brings with him mistakenly._

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm proud of myself for not going an ass year without an update lmao. This is a much more laid-back chapter, focusing more on Richard and Gavin's relationship and the struggles the two of them face, not only with their relationship as a whole (how people react to them, their worries, etc.) but their inner struggles with it as well. This story is called "Forbidden", after all, and I really don't think I have been balancing it out properly. I'm going to make a better attempt.
> 
> Fair warning! This chapter contains sexual elements, but not full-on sexual intercourse. If you wish to avoid this, skip past what I'm going to refer to as the "bench scene" and head for the "terminal/computer scene". I hope you enjoy! 🖤

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

The alarm clock on the nightstand blared, disrupting the peaceful silence withheld in the bedroom. Gavin groaned, ignoring it for a moment. He covered his face with the crook of his arm and sighed. _I don’t want to deal with this fucking shit today._ As he went to finally shut the clock off, he nudged something by mistake. The detective moved the arm above his face, surprised to see Richard leaning over him, his hand on the clock.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a low, tired voice.

Richard glanced down at him, a small smile forming on his features. “Turning the alarm off. You’d have woken up the whole complex if I hadn’t.”

The detective rolled his eyes. “Whatever…” He gently pushed the android away from him, laughing when his partner fell onto the bed next to him. “Be a little more careful. You almost landed on me, asshole.”

“I wouldn’t have fallen if you hadn’t pushed me, dipshit.”

For a moment, Gavin stared at the android above him, surprised to hear him curse without motivation. He was amused by it. The man chuckled a little, nudging himself closer to his partner. “Never heard you cuss like that.”

Richard shrugged. “I guess I have learned from you.” He placed his hands on his chest and lay still, in the same position corpses were typically placed in for burial. His LED blinked between blue and yellow as he relaxed, beginning to be lost in his thoughts. The only things occupying his mind,  however, were the events from last night. Suddenly, he jolted up, strolled over to the window, and peeked out of the curtains, staring at the street below their apartment.

“Hey, tin can, will you calm down? Nobody’s gonna do shit.”

“You do not know this.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Be weird, see if I care.” As he wandered toward the bathroom, he play-punched the android in the shoulder. “Try not to kill anyone while I go get dressed, okay?”

The android smiled slightly as he pulled the curtains shut again. “I will try my best, Gavin.” He turned and watched the man as he closed himself off in the bathroom. While he listened to the rustling sounds of clothing, he found himself staring out the window again. Just as before, nothing was there. Despite this, the android couldn't shake off the anxiety he was experiencing. _Perhaps last night has left me more rattled than I first thought._ He sighed. _Well, regardless, I should still keep an eye on things around here. Gavin doesn’t want me to, but his judgement really cannot be trusted in situations like this, where he might have put his life in danger without even trying._

Meanwhile, Gavin was busy dressing himself. He had managed to slip his sleep clothes off and work his way into a fresh pair of boxers and jeans, but seemed to be unable to focus on wrestling a shirt over his sore shoulders. Instead, he was leaning against the sink, scrolling through his Twitter feed. Nothing really seemed to be catching his attention. “Damn,” he mumbled. “Nothin’ good.”

As he continued scrolling, an article title caught his eye. “More and more humans are beginning to prefer android companions, even though it's illegal,” he read out loud. “What the hell…” The man put his phone down and groaned, thoughts swarming his previously vacant mind.

_Damn it. It's nice to know I'm not the only one, but…_

He reached up and hit himself across the face. _Stop that! You're literally a fuckin’ cop. You legally can't have these feelings._

And yet, he did.

_Fuck me. Why do I like it- him- so much? What's so appealing about kissing a damn bot that I've done it twice now?_

Gavin threw his shirt on, not even bothering to button it up as he grasped the doorknob. _I gotta find out._

The door flew open suddenly, and Gavin strolled out of his bathroom and up to the android. He grasped the collar of his jacket and pulled the taller individual down closer to him. Richard gulped, his cheeks tinting a familiar blue as he suddenly found himself much closer to the detective than he meant to be in that moment.

“Gavin, what are you doing?” he asked softly.

For a second, he didn’t respond. “Tin can,” he finally whispered, voice a little deeper than usual. “You’re blushing again.”

“Yes, yes I am.”

Another moment of silence fell among the two of them. “You did that when I kissed you, right?”

Richard felt his cheeks warm up more. “Affirmative. What has this got to do with anything?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to see it again.”

Their faces were mere inches apart. Richard stared into his partner's eyes, confused, yet interested in what the next move would be. _He won't,_ the android thought. _He's in the right mindset. There's no way._

As if he read his mind, the detective proved him wrong; he yanked the android closer, surprising him for the third time with the same action. Somehow, this third kiss managed to be a little sloppier. Richard, despite the fact he was ridiculously surprised, managed to decide that this was due to the shock effect he was certain his partner was experiencing. After all, there's no way he would kiss an android _willingly,_ without being under the influence, right?

Wrong, apparently.

Gavin let go, and the android immediately stood back up straight. His LED flickered amongst all three colors for a little bit before returning to a calm, blue cycle. This caused the detective to chuckle softly. “You _do_ work today, right?” he asked, as if ignoring his previous action while he placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“Yes, but only for a few hours. And I do not have to be there until noon.” Richard glanced at the clock. _Eight thirty-seven. I have more time than I believed I did._

Gavin grunted. “It’s still early. ”

“So, I don’t have to leave for at least… three hours? It is only eight-seven. Is there anything in particular that you would like to do, Gavin?”

“Honestly, I don’t feel the need to do anything except go back to bed. But I don’t want to go back to bed. I want to do _something_.”

Richard contemplated for a moment. “We could watch a movie. Or go out for breakfast,” he suggested.

Another grunt came from the man before him. “Let's go get food, yeah.” He grabbed his keys from his nightstand and twirled them around his finger. “C'mon, toaster. Gotta go now if we want fresh coffee.”

Another smile crossed Richard's lips. “Coming, Gavin.”

The two of them headed outside. As they got in the car, Richard glanced at his partner. “Gavin, please button your shirt and act like a decent human.”

Gavin rolled his eyes as he clicked his seatbelt into place. “Bite me,” he mumbled as he sped away from the curb.

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

The car pulled to a stop on the side of the road. Gavin got out almost immediately, while Richard remained inside to take in the scenery. The restaurant was relatively small; the front door was crystal-clear glas, framed with black-painted bricks, and as soon as Gavin opened it, the smell of various foods and coffee attacked the android's nasal sensors.

Gavin turned around, noticing that his partner had yet to follow him like a desperate puppy. He rolled his eyes when he saw him still sitting in the passenger seat. "Tin can! You comin' or what?"

"Coming!" Richard replied, finally exiting the vehicle. He raced up to the door, insisting on holding it open for the smaller man, who only let out a huff in response to the kind gesture. His LED blinked yellow momentarily, but returned to the soft blue while Gavin led him to a table- a booth, to be exact- in the corner of the room.

"This is my favorite table," the detective murmured, fishing around in his pockets, "it's hidden away from the employees' view. I can smoke in peace."

Now the android's LED flared red. "Gavin," he whispered, panic rising in his system, "please don't. Please at least limit yourself to your home."

The man glared whilst sitting down. "Don't tell me what to do, Dick."

"You said you wanted to try and quit. A good way to start is by limiting yourself a little." He sat across from his partner, attempting to keep a blank, controlled expression to mask his current internal struggle. He slipped his Cyberlife jacket off and placed it beside himself on the seat, hoping the process of folding the item would help relax him.

For the moment, Gavin remained silent, his hands still in his pockets. He maintained this pose as the waitress, a young woman with long, red hair- which was pulled up in a messy bun- and green eyes, strolled up with a kind, welcoming smile and a notepad in her hand. "Hello! Would you like a menu, or are you ready to order?" she asked in a soft, yet cheerful voice.

Gavin slowly slid his hands out of his pockets and places them on the table, one folded over the other. "Two coffees. Just gimme the bowl of sugar with them. And uh… scrambled eggs with hashbrowns."

"It'll be a few minutes before the coffee is out, we have to brew some fresh."

"'S fine."

The waitress nodded, writing down the order on her paper. "Okay, so I have two coffees, some scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns for you." She shifted her gaze to Richard. "And for you, sir?"

Richard shifted uncomfortably, realizing he had yet to put his jacket back on and was sitting to where the woman could not see his LED. "I apologize, ma'am, but I am an android. I do not require sustenance such as food."

The woman seemed to visibly pale; her demeanor had completely changed. She said nothing, just nodded as she walked back to the counter. Richard noticed that she had walked much faster than when she had come to their table. He looked down, mood shifting instantly. He couldn't place _why_ this had happened or _what_ this feeling was; and yet, he found himself stressed and upset. His LED shifted to a burning red and tears pricked the edges of his bright eyes.

Gavin glanced at him as he shoved his hands in his pockets again. Almost immediately, they were back out, placed on the table. "Hey, hey, what the hell? What's wrong with you?" he whispered. At first, the android thought he was simply being rude; when he re-evaluated the statement, however, he was surprised to discover he was genuinely concerned.

"I… am experiencing a new emotion," he whispered back. "Describe it to me."

Richard swallowed. "A mixture of fear… anxiety… and… and self… loathing?"

"Guilt. That's guilt, Richard." The detective frowned, confused as to why he referred to the android by his name, but also why said android was experiencing fucking _guilt_ of all things. "Why do you feel guilty?" His voice was suddenly soft, almost gentle, something that threw poor Richard for a loop.

"I don't know, Gavin. Truthfully, I really do not know. I'm sorry…"

Gavin sighed. He tapped his fingers across the surface of the table. "Scoot over," he instructed suddenly. Though this further caught his partner off guard, Richard did as he was told, moving his jacket onto his lap and occupying its space. Gavin changed seats, sitting beside the android. He didn't even know what came over him, but he found himself placing a hand over Richard's. "It's okay," was all he said before looking away.

A stray faux tear dripped down the android's cheek. He wiped it away with his free hand, tightening his grip on Gavin's slightly as he did so. For a while, they sat side by side like this; Gavin (for some reason) willingly holding the android's hand, Richard allowing him to whilst panicking internally. After some time, the android did something he didn't think he would ever do, especially not with _Gavin_ , of all people: he allowed the skin layer of his held hand to peel back, letting the detective hold onto the bare, white plastic of his chassis underneath.

 _What the fuck?_ Gavin jolted slightly. He wanted to let go… right? This was _disgusting_ to him, wasn't it?

Well, not really.

The detective was baffled. He was _certain_ he should be irritated, at the very least. And yet, here he was, actually… enjoying it? Was he _enjoying_ holding Richard's hand?

"Fuck me," he whispered.

Well, it was more tolerable than _kissing_ him, anyway (even though he was starting to enjoy that as well).

The waitress returned with a platter, the coffee cups balanced alongside the plate with food on it. She said nothing, just placed everything, even the platter, on the table. While she began to turn away, she noticed the fact that the two men were holding hands and, regardless of the fact she knew better, she couldn't help it; the disgusted, uncomfortable expression crossed her facial features. Gavin caught a glimpse of this and glared at her, almost grinning when he saw her eyes widen and watched her hurry away.

"Fuckin' bitch," he mumbled, beginning to consume the food. "Didn't even bring the sugar."

Richard said nothing. He simply watched as the detective ate. His bright eyes still had tears forming in them and, without meaning to, he whimpered softly. This caught the detective's attention, and he stared at him with concern. "What's wrong now?"

"It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not-"

"Richard, just tell me what's fuckin' wrong, damn."

The android inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry, I just feel gross, okay?"

He dropped the silverware. "Why?"

"Because… you know… this isn't exactly… well, this isn't accepted. It's illegal. Of course people have problems with it."

"With _what?"_

Richard put pressure on Gavin's hand, reminding him that they were still experiencing physical contact together. He became slightly amused when he saw the man flinch.

"Oh, right. That."

Gavin returned to eating for a while, seeming to be thinking about his options, and Richard let him be, still struggling himself. He was content with the silence between the two of them, content with the various sounds of the restaurant; the coffee cups and glasses clinking against one another and the table, the chatter amongst customers, the sizzling of foods on the grill in the back room. It suddenly seemed much calmer, much more relaxing to the android, whose LED had finally returned to a cool, calm blue.

"Let's just… keep it secret," the smaller man finally whispered. "We won't be obvious about it in public, we can hide it."

"Hide it…?" Richard seemed confused. They had an official thing? Since when? He truly thought Gavin had just been… experimenting, for lack of a better word. He needed more confirmation. "Hide what, Gavin?"

"Our… _thing._ "

He still wasn't convinced. He needed to hear the _word_ come out of the detective's mouth. "What _thing,_ detective?"

Gavin groaned and rolled his eyes. "Our phckin' _relationship,_ asshat!" he hissed, shoving another mouthful of food into his mouth.

A grin crossed Richard's lips. "That's all I wanted to hear," he whispered back, rubbing his thumb over his partner's hand as he did so.

At this point, many people in the venue were staring at the duo, some with approving, happy expressions, and an equal amount of others seeming disgusted or uncomfortable. Richard reached over and tapped the detective's thigh, gently slipping his bare hand from his and placing the faux skin later back over it. Gavin acknowledged that he knew what was happening by tapping the android's thigh in return. He shoveled the final bites of his meal into his mouth and placed the amount he owed on the table, under the plate. "C'mon, prick, let's go," he mumbled, hoping Richard took no offense to the statement; he was simply trying to uphold his reputation, after all.

"Coming, detective," he replied, following alongside his plan and scurrying after him like an obedient puppy. As they stepped outside, Richard kept an eye on everyone in the restaurant; once they all seemed distracted again, he pulled the detective closer, trying to assure himself that he had a grip on him in the first place. Gavin grunted in response, nearly shoving the latter off of himself.

"In the car," he whispered. He glanced at his phone, glaring when he realized just how long he'd spent in the restaurant. "How the fuck did we spend an hour and a half there? God damn it, we gotta go now if you wanna be on time."

"The station is not that far from here, Gavin."

"No shit. Shouldn't you make sure you have everything you need though? You didn't bring anything to the restaurant."

Richard frowned when he realized the detective was right. Even worse, he really had no clue what he'd done with the files from the night before. "Good point. I suppose I ought to look for what I need."

"Damn right."

Gavin sped off right as his partner got his seatbelt into place. He sped around a few cars and even a pedestrian, that of which earned him a scolding from his partner, but he brushed it off with a chuckle and a "Well nobody died, did they?" Besides, his route, albeit dangerous, was much more convenient and faster than the "safe" and "legal" one. He pulled to a stop in his usual place before his apartment. "Get whatcha need, quickly."

"Right."

Richard wasted no time; he exited the Charger and headed inside the apartment, immediately venturing to the bedroom. _I am almost positive it is in here…_ When he didn't find the folder, however, he felt himself beginning to panic again. "Damn it. I have the files memorized, but..." He leaned against the bed. _What do I do? Gavin isn't allowed to see the progress of the investigation._ Eventually, he let out a sigh. _I'll have to risk it and hope that he does not find them before I do… at least I have a short shift. I shouldn't be long._

With that, he returned to the car, took his seat, and sighed again. Immediately, Gavin noticed the lack of… well, anything, honestly. "Where the fuck is your stuff?"

"I cannot locate it. I have the files memorized and have been authorized to make a temporary file for any new evidence or advancement as needed, however, so it is no big deal."

"Hmph." The man shrugged as he pulled away from the curb again. "If you say so." He sped past his usual term, but before Richard could point this out or protest, he mumbled, "I'm taking the long way. Don't argue with me."

He didn't argue, just as told. The drive was riddled with awkward silence from there; frankly, though, neither of them could think of a good topic. Instead, Richard found himself staring out the window, taking the scenery in yet again. Wherever they were, it was quiet and bare; the buildings were run down, hardly any people were around, and it overall just seemed like a shifty neighborhood. Nevertheless, Richard seemed fine with it. _There are few people. Shady or not, it would be interesting to explore._

They weaved through a series of curves and took a few sharp turns and, eventually, the car popped out of an alleyway. Soon, they stopped at the police station.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Gavin," Richard whispered, offering a small smile as he stepped out of the car. His partner only nodded in response. The car never shut off, and when Richard noticed this, he turned and stared at the detective with concern.

The window rolled down, and Gavin stuck his head out it. "Hey, I know I'm not supposed to look at the files and be involved in this or whatever. But… you think I could come in? Even for a little bit? I fuckin miss this place."

The android frowned. "Gavin, I want to let you come with me, but I really do not think that would be wise."

"What if I just sit outside? I'm not doing any harm that way."

He hesitated. A sigh passed Richard's lips. "I suppose I can spend some time with you outside. Surely nobody will notice if I am a few minutes late… allow me to set a timer." He paused, LED flickering yellow-blue as he did this. A timer- only consisting of five measley minutes- appeared in his line of vision, and he nodded in approval after this.

The car shut off, and Gavin- almost too eagerly- rushed outside, onto the sidewalk beside Richard. He urged the android to sit on a bench beside the corner of the building, and he did. Said android looked around, noticing that, despite the large amount of people on the nearby streets, none of the station's windows were near the bench. Said streets were fairly hidden from the bench, something that truly surprised Richard.

_Nobody can see us unless they are on the lookout, purposely trying to locate the bench… interesting._

Richard grabbed the detective's hand without any hesitation. He slid his fingers between Gavin's, rubbed his thumb over the back of his hand, and scooted closer to the man beside him momentarily, before he pulled the smaller individual up and pushed him against the wall. At this, Gavin blushed slightly, but not out of embarrassment; rather, he was nervous. _Very_ nervous.

"The fuck are you doin'?" he asked. He glanced around cautiously; there were many people passing by their little area, some of them fellow officers. Richard seemed to ignore this, finding himself hovering over the smaller man. “Do you even understand how much fuckin’ trouble you’re gonna get me in, you worthless tin can!?”

“Of course I do. However… my scanners indicate that there is only a mere thirty percent chance we will be discovered.” He reached his free hand up to stroke the man’s cheek. “Let me prove you wrong.”

"Wrong about _what?_ "

"Wrong about how you've felt about me, Connor, and all other androids you have come in contact with." Richard let go of the detective's hand, in favor of gently cupping his face. He allowed the skin layer of his hands to fade away at the fingertips; Gavin shuddered as the android traced his jawline, ghosted over his stubble, and trailed slowly down his neck.

 _God, fuck, why does this feel nice to me?_ Gavin whimpered and keened, both ashamed and astounded at how he was reacting to the android simply _touching_ him. Richard allowed his hands to venture further down his partner's body, each of his hands going different directions; his left one lifted Gavin's shirt and traveled up slowly, stroked his chest and shoulders, and put pressure upon his pectorals whenever it glided over them; his right one, however, found itself snaking into the back of the detective's jeans, gently caressing the small of his back and teasingly inching closer to his ass. All of this caused the man's cheeks to redden further. He reached his hands up to his partner's back and pulled him close, releasing a pent-up moan into his chest before leaning back against the wall. " _Fuck_ , you're really pushing the boundaries, huh?" he whispered, barely audible to the android above him.

"Yes," Richard whispered back. He removed his left hand from under Gavin's shirt in favor of gripping his hair, pressing his bright red face back against his chest. Gavin was about to protest, but nearly instantly became thankful for this action; the android began rubbing his right hand- that of which was still, quite literally, in the detective's pants- over his ass, squeezing and pinching in random areas across his plush backside. All of this caused Gavin to clutch Richard's shirt and let out another moan, this one longer and a little louder than his last one.

The timer in the android's vision ran out, a soft alarm going off in his head for a moment. Suddenly, Richard let go, backing away from the now-disheveled detective beneath him, who was panting softly. The android grinned a little. "I bet you never knew an android could give you pleasure like that, hm?" he whispered. When Gavin shook his head, he chuckled softly. "Will you admit that we are not all bad now? Of course, sexual intercourse and stimuli aren't the only way I can please you. I simply found it the easiest way to prove it."

The officer hesitated for a moment. Finally, in a hushed tone, he replied, “Y’know, maybe I hate you… _things,_ but I must admit. I’ve always kinda wondered why anyone would want to date one. And, damn you, I think I’m starting to get it.”

At this, Richard let out a laugh. "You're adorable, Gavin," he whispered. "We will discuss this further later. I must get to work on this case."

"Alright. Catch this fucker, Dick."

The two parted ways, Richard heading into the police station, Gavin hopping back in his car and traveling back to his home. Whilst inside, typing away at his terminal, Richard couldn't shake an eerie feeling. _It feels as though we were being watched,_ he thought, pausing momentarily to reflect on the actions that had happened. _I detected nobody within our vicinity. And yet…_ He shook his head. _No. I am simply paranoid. It isn't possible._

Despite this conclusion, Richard was wrong. _Very_ wrong. They _had_ been being watched, for hidden away in the bushes across the street was a camera. Behind that camera was a man, and that man was none other than the Red Ice Killer himself; Chester grinned slightly, snickering to himself as he flipped through the photos he had taken. Each of them consisted of Richard and Gavin, in many various positions and… situations.

"Excellent," he whispered to himself. The man glanced at a piece of paper, which he had written some information about their superior, Captain Fowler, upon long ago, including his full name, home and work addresses, and many other pieces of personal information. Chester's grin widened. _Now, I have the blackmail. It is time to begin the first step: making Gavin's life absolutely horrendous. Making him_ want _to die._

↤↤↤↤↤ -x- ↦↦↦↦↦

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little off-topic, but I made an art piece based upon my story. If you'd like to see it, leave some kudos or a comment on this chapter and I will attach it to the next one. I also lurk around on Twitter (I'm @corpseplush there), and I post some art there now and then. If enough people take interest in my Twitter, I may consider creating more art pieces based off of this, sharing the progress of my story and other ideas I have, etc.


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